The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were able to purchase almost every player they desired at the IPL 2025 auction, according to former India star Aakash Chopra. He believed that their head coach Stephen Fleming’s expression showed their displeasure, and that Deepak Chahar was most likely the only player they were unable to acquire.
Chahar was freed by CSK prior to the IPL 2025 auction. The Mumbai Indians (MI) outbid them, purchasing the swing bowler for ₹9.25 crore, despite their attempt to re-acquire him last month. The former India opener said in a video posted to his YouTube channel, “Aakash Chopra,” that the Chennai Super Kings were lucky to have all of their targeted players, with the exception of Chahar.
“They got really lucky in the auction because they got the players they wanted. They wanted Devon Conway. They got him cheap. They wanted Rachin Ravindra. They used the RTM for him. Ravichandran Ashwin – you might get to hear the age-old ‘Come on Ash’ again. They ran after Noor Ahmad for a long time. Was ₹10 crore justified, but they said they
definitely needed him,” he said (2:15)
Chopra pointed out that only three teams, including CSK, managed to assemble a full-strength 25-man roster. The five-time champs, he continued, have backups in almost every department.
Ravichandran Ashwin & Other Spinners Will Choke The Opposition – Aakash Chopra
In the same video, Aakash Chopra picked the Chennai Super Kings’ spin attack as one of their strengths.
“Look at their spin-bowling department. If a team has Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, they will choke the opposition. This is 12 overs of different kinds of spin – phenomenal. Don’t be surprised if you get spin-friendly pitches in Chennai,” he said (4:00)
“The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team also has a plethora of Indian batters to counter the likely spin-friendly conditions in Chepauk, their home ground,” the cricketer-turned-commentator continued.
“When you prepare spin-friendly pitches, you want a lot of Indians in batting. They also have that, from Ruturaj Gaikwad till MS Dhoni, they have a lot of Indians. In fact, if you try to make their XI, three of their overseas players are seen more in the bowling category. They are almost ready to play with just one overseas batter,” Chopra observed.
Also Read: IPL 2025 : Former CSK Pacer Deepak Chahar Says He’ll Catch Up With MS Dhoni Before IPL 2025 Begins