Purse – INR 43.40 Cr || Slots available – 9 || Overseas slots – 4
Ayush Mhatre, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, ALLROUNDER, ALLROUNDER/FINISHER, MS Dhoni (wk), Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed
Urvil Patel, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton
With a largely established top five, CSK’s priority is now to secure two middle-order players. After trading away all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran for Sanju Samson, they require all-rounders with differing skills: one who excels in spin and another who brings pace. Last season, CSK struggled in the death overs, highlighting the urgent need for improvement. Both new players will need to contribute with the ball, as current bowlers are not known for their batting prowess, with Shivam Dube being the only secondary bowling option among the top eight.
Releasing Matheesha Pathirana requires them to find an overseas pacer for death overs to back Nathan Ellis. Given the limited pool of quality bowlers in a mini-auction, it’s plausible they may consider re-signing the Sri Lankan quick. Additionally, with Jadeja gone and R. Ashwin retired, they may look to add a finger spinner since Shreyas Gopal is currently their only backup. With the second-largest budget, CSK is confident in securing key targets.
Potential targets – Cameron Green, Venkatesh Iyer, Liam Livingstone, Jason Holder, Michael Bracewell, Prashant Veer, Sunny Sandhu, Mustafizur Rahman
Purse – INR 25.50 Cr || Slots available – 10 || Overseas slots – 2
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Reddy, Aniket Verma, Pat Cummins (c), Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Eshan Malinga, DOMESTIC PACER
SRH has made a bold move by releasing Mohammed Shami. With Harshal Patel and Eshan Malinga specializing in death overs, there’s a pressing need for a bowler who can handle the new ball. SRH performed poorly during the powerplay last season, raising concerns as they approach the new season.
While Smaran Ravichandran is rapidly improving in domestic cricket, his inclusion in the XI/XII will hinge on auction outcomes. The release of Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Sachin Baby, and Atharva Taide means SRH must find additional domestic batters and might use an overseas slot for a backup. Although they let go of Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, they might feel confident in their spin department due to Zeeshan Ansari’s performances and Harsh Dubey’s recent emergence.
Potential targets – Aquib Nabi, Akash Deep, Ashok Sharma, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Mahipal Lomror, Kartik Sharma
