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IPL 2025: Rishabh Pant Or KL Rahul; Who Will CSK Target From The Marquee Set In The Mega Auction?

Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul [Source: @Ctrlmemes_, @riseup_pant17/x.com]Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul [Source: @Ctrlmemes_, @riseup_pant17/x.com]

Chennai Super Kings have retained five players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. They will enter the event with a purse of around INR 55 Cr.

There have been a few speculations and rumours that CSK might plan to take Rishabh Pant on their side during the auction. The reason behind such speculations is that Pant can take the place of MS Dhoni in the future as a keeper, batter and captain.

Well, talking of a captain and a keeper-batter, another player might be interested in CSK: KL Rahul. Pant and Rahul have similar USPs, and hence, not only CSK but also a few other franchises might be interested in them.

However, in practice, CSK might not pursue either of these players. Given the rumours that have already been spread, this may seem like an audacious and shambolic claim. But here are a few reasons why CSK will not pursue either Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul.

Why Will CSK Not Buy Either Rishabh Pant or KL Rahul?

Price of the players—Budget constraints will be one of the first issues that will prevent CSK from including either Rahul or Pant in their team. Teams like RCB and PBKS will be hunting these two players and will enter the auction with much higher purses. So, CSK might fall behind in the bidding war even if they go after them.

Backing their old customers - Chennai Super Kings are known to retain most of their squad over the years. During the IPL 2025 mega auction, one of the main targets of the CSK management will be to assemble the players who have played for them in the last two or three seasons. This means that CSK might go hard for players like Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Chahar, etc. So, the management might not look to bid too hard for Pant or Rahul and save their purse for these ex-CSKians when they go under the hammer.

Do CSK Actually Need Rahul or Pant? - Rahul and Pant will bring wicketkeeping and captaincy to the table for the team that buys either of them. Well, CSK have appointed Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain ahead of IPL 2024, and it is highly unlikely that they will bring about a change so soon just to accommodate either Pant or Rahul.

There is a high chance that CSK will be looking to go hard for someone like Devon Conway. That will also solve their wicketkeeper situation. Hence, it seems like they don’t desperately need someone like a KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant in their team.

Conclusion

The CSK management is known for its auction planning. In most cases, they finish the auction as one of the most happy teams with some efficient buys. They might go after Rahul or Pant, but the chance of them going hard for any one of them and breaking the bank to include them seems highly unlikely.