'Sir Ravindra Jadeja has to be there': CSK legend Suresh Raina backs star all-rounder, wants these 3 players released instead

UPDATED: Nov 10, 2025 01:23 PM IST

'Sir Ravindra Jadeja has to be there': CSK legend Suresh Raina backs star all-rounder, wants these 3 players released instead

Ravindra Jadeja (L) and Suresh Raina of the Chennai Super Kings stretch during net practice at M.A Chidambaram Stadium on April 2, 2012 in Chennai, India.

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Suresh Raina wants CSK to retain 'Sir Ravindra Jadeja'.

Raina feels CSK should release Devon Conway, Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend Suresh Raina wants the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions to retain Ravindra Jadeja amidst reports of him getting traded to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Sanju Samson. Raina listed out key players CSK should retain ahead of the mini-auction. He emphasised on the need to retain all-rounder Jadeja who has been part of CSK’s three IPL-winning campaigns.

“Noor Ahmad should be retained. He’s a mystery spinner, so he must be kept. MS Dhoni should definitely be retained; he is playing this year, so he should remain with the team. Ruturaj Gaikwad should continue as captain. Ravindra Jadeja should be retained again. He is a gun player for CSK. He has done really, really well for the team over the years, so ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’ has to be there,” Raina said in an interaction with JioStar.

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Which players Raina wants CSK to release?

While trading Jadeja for Samson will give a much-needed boost to CSK's top-order, Samson believes that the franchise should do away with three players who did not have a good run in the previous season. The southpaw wants them to invest in a local opener in the mini-auction.

“Devon Conway should be released. CSK need a local opener, which they will look for in the mini-auction. Vijay Shankar has already received plenty of chances. So I think CSK should release him as well. Deepak Hooda should be released too. There are a lot of players available in the mini-auction who can provide the same combination for the team. These players got their chances last year, and we saw how they played. So, probably CSK will have to look for someone new,” Raina said.

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Conway, Hooda and Shankar’s IPL 2025 statistics

Conway played six games for CSK in IPL 2025 and scored 156 runs at an average of 26 and strike rate of 131.09, including two fifties. He left the camp to fly back home due to personal reasons and was unavailable for selection. He was roped in for Rs 6.25 crore.

Hooda, whose services were acquired for Rs 1.70 crore, had a flop season. From five innings, he managed to score just 31 runs. His average was 6.20 and strike rate was 75.60.

34-year-old Shankar who joined the franchise for Rs 1.2 crore was not at his best either barring the one half-century. From five innings, he scored 118 runs at an average of 39.33 and strike rate of 129.67.