KL Rahul left the Lucknow Super Giants before of this year’s huge auction after three mediocrely successful seasons in which he twice guided the team to the playoffs. It is anticipated that a wicketkeeper-batter of his caliber will fetch a high price at the auction. The team has no plans to use its RTM (Right to Match) option on the former captain, according to remarks made by the franchise’s ownership.
According to Aakash Chopra, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will undoubtedly try to purchase KL Rahul in the 2025 IPL auction. He noted that the five-time winners require a batsman-wicketkeeper to replace MS Dhoni. Prior to the auction, CSK kept five players: Dhoni (₹4 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (₹13 crore), Shivam Dube (₹12 crore), Ruturaj Gaikwad (₹18 crore), and Ravindra Jadeja (₹18 crore). To put together the rest of their team, they have ₹55 crore left in their budget.
KL Rahul Can Be Dhoni’s Replacement- Aakash Chopra
The former India opener stated in a video posted to his “Aakash Chopra” YouTube channel that CSK will undoubtedly pursue Rahul at the auction as a replacement for Dhoni after the latter retires.
“What all do they need? I feel they need a successor to Dhoni, a wicketkeeper-batter and it’s great if they get an Indian. Everyone is saying, let me also say – he is more than 30 years old, is going to be a father very soon and everyone has written him off as well, so he is right for Chennai, that’s KL Rahul. So they will definitely go for KL Rahul,” he said (11:00).
Aakash Chopra mentioned that CSK would be interested in Shreyas Iyer as a specialist hitter in addition to identifying Ishan Kishan and Rishabh Pant as potential Indian wicketkeeper-batter alternatives. Aakash Chopra admitted that once Dhoni leaves the IPL, CSK may try to re-acquire Devon Conway in the auction and consider him as a wicketkeeper-batter option. He clarified, though, that the New Zealand player is not a long-term fix because the team would require an Indian batsman-wicketkeeper and that can be KL Rahul.
“We can’t say for how long they will go but they will try to acquire him because the franchise still has ₹55 crore to be spent. So if they can get an Indian like him, Ishan Kishan or Rishabh Pant for ₹10-15 crore, they are going to try. They might think about Shreyas Iyer for some time because they will need Indian batters to bat in those conditions,” he observed
They Might Also Go After Ravichandran Ashwin After KL Rahul
In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that the Chennai Super Kings might look to acquire Ravichandran Ashwin to resolve their spin-bowling issues.
“This team has had a problem with spin. They didn’t have a very good Indian spinner apart from Jadeja. I think Ravichandran Ashwin. They will go after Anna. He is also the director of CSK’s academy and started his IPL career with this team only. This might be his last cycle,” he said (11:55)
The former cricket player who is now a broadcaster also mentioned that Sam Curran, an all-round player with ball-swinging ability, may be targeted by the Chennai-based club.
“Ashwin might not be playing cricket, at least not the IPL, after three years. They go more towards swing bowlers in fast bowling. So I wouldn’t be surprised if they pick Sam Curran if they get him cheap because I feel Sam Curran’s best can come for this franchise only,” Chopra observed.
Chopra identified Tushar Deshpande, Devon Conway, and Deepak Chahar as possible Right To Match card choices for CSK. He went on to say that Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell, and Rachin Ravindra won’t require the franchise to use the RTM card.
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