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Ex-India's star batter Ajay Jadeja has proposed that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retain their legendary captain, MS Dhoni, for the upcoming IPL 2025 season. Jadeja believes that the five-time IPL champions should also retain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja, as well as the overseas fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana.
Ajay Jadeja suggests MS Dhoni's retention for CSK
The IPL Governing Council recently announced a new rule that allows Indian players who haven't represented the country in the last five years to be considered uncapped. This change enables CSK to retain Dhoni as an uncapped player, despite his last appearance for India being during the 2019 ODI World Cup.
During a discussion on Colors Cineplex, Ajay Jadeja expressed his belief that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would retain MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Ravindra Jadeja for the upcoming IPL season. Jadeja praised Gaikwad's performance in the IPL 2024, and emphasized the importance of retaining Ravindra Jadeja for the IPL 2025 team.
"One is MS Dhoni for sure. There is no doubt about that because firstly he has become an uncapped player now and he has shown for so many years that he doesn't desire to be No. 1 or No. 2 to make the team. So there is no doubt at that value. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had a good year, so you will want to keep him as well. You cannot leave Ravindra, I am not talking about Rachin, I am talking about Jadeja. I feel these three are perfect for them," Jadeja said.
MS Dhoni's performance in IPL 2024
Dhoni relinquished his captaincy duties before the commencement of the IPL 2024 season. Batting lower down the order throughout the tournament, the wicketkeeper-batter contributed 161 runs in 11 innings, averaging 53.67 with a strike rate of 220.54.
Gaikwad and Jadeja's contributions
Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged as CSK's leading run-scorer in IPL 2024. The CSK skipper amassed 583 runs in 14 games, boasting an impressive average of 53.00 and a strike rate of 141.16. Ravindra Jadeja also made significant contributions, accumulating 267 runs at an average of 44.50 in 11 innings and claiming eight wickets with an economy rate of 7.85.
The cricketer-turned-commentator, Ajay Jadeja, expressed his belief that Matheesha Pathirana would not be released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2025 auction. Jadeja suggested that Dhoni, Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Pathirana would be the ideal four picks for CSK, with the strategic use of Right to Match (RTM) cards.
"So if a team wants to change their style, the fewer you retain, it's better. So these three according to me will be retained for sure. You would not want to leave Pathirana. I am seeing him as one among the overseas players. You need to keep players not because of the money, but their style. So I feel these four will be their main players and they will keep two RTMs," Jadeja added.
Pathirana's stellar IPL 2024
Matheesha Pathirana showcased an impressive performance in IPL 2024, claiming 13 wickets in only six innings with an economy rate of 7.68. He secured the third position in the wicket-taking charts for CSK, trailing Tushar Deshpande (17) and Mustafizur Rahman (14). Unfortunately, the CSK team failed to qualify for the playoffs in the previous season.
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