By: Aditya Ahuja
Chennai Super Kings have confirmed MS Dhoni’s return for the upcoming Indian Premier League season as they announced their list of retained and released players ahead of the auction.
Several surprises emerged as CSK released Ben Stokes along with Dwaine Pretorius, K Bhagath Varma, Subhranshu Senapati, Ambati Rayudu, Kyle Jamieson, Akash Singh, and Sisanda Magala. Notably, Jamieson was acquired in IPL 2023 but missed the season due to injury, leading to Magala being his replacement, subsequently released.
Stokes’ release follows his record-breaking 16.25 crore fee just a year ago. The English all-rounder opted out of IPL 2024 to manage workload, focusing on fitness for the Test series against India and the T20 World Cup preceding the IPL.
Retained players include Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, and Maheesh Theekshana.
With ₹32.1 crore for the auction, CSK aims to bolster their squad after releasing Rayudu, who retired post IPL 2023.
Dhoni’s return is reassuring for fans after his knee surgery post IPL 2023.
CSK clinched their fifth IPL title by defeating Gujarat Titans in the 2023 final, equalling Mumbai Indians’ record for most IPL titles.
