IPL Auction 2018: Kumble, Whatmore, Aakash Chopra Analyse CSK

It will interesting to see whether Chennai Super Kings engage in a bidding war for Ashwin.

It will be interesting to see whether CSK sticks with their old bunch of players or decides to give a new look to their squad.

(Photo Courtesy: Star Sports screengrab)

The big auction for IPL 2018 is around the corner and by this time all franchises have come up with the list of players they’d like to take home at the end of the auction. Most of the teams have retained their core group of players.

Two-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who will be returning to this year’s competition after serving a two-year suspension due to charges of spot fixing, will be trying to regroup themselves after the break.

During the retention announcement, the Chennai outfit, on expected lines retained the services of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.

According to the latest guidelines for IPL 2018, Dhoni will have a salary cap of Rs 15 crore, Raina Rs 11 crore and Jadeja Rs 7 crore. As they have retained three players, CSK will now have a reduced purse of Rs 47 crore for the auction.

Ashwin, who was an important part of the scheme of things in CSK was surprisingly left out during retention. But captain Dhoni has made it clear that Ashwin will be their priority in the auction. Unfortunately they can’t use their Right To Match (RTM) card for him as they have already retained three capped Indian players.

Apart from Ashwin, CSK will be vying for former players – Dwayne Bravo, Brendon McCullam and Dwayne Smith. The Chennai team can use their RTM cards for anyone of these two players.

It will be interesting to see whether CSK sticks with their old bunch of players or decides to give a new look to their squad.

Where to Watch?

The IPL 2018 auction will be held in Bengaluru on 27 and 28 January and can be viewed on Star Sports, and streamed online on Hotstar. The event is scheduled to start at 9 am.

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