The NZ star might have to warm the bench for the first few games.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained as many as five players before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction, including MS Dhoni as an uncapped player. During the auction, the five-time champions bought several utility players over big names, as they always do.
Noor Ahmad was their biggest buy, spending a whopping INR 10 crore. Other big grabs were Ravichandran Ashwin (INR 9.75 crore), Devon Conway (INR 6.25 crore), and Khaleel Ahmed (INR 4.80 crore).
CSK had a limited purse. They did a decent job of buying several quality players and got a few at a lower price than expected. For instance, the Yellow Army had to spend only INR 30 Lakh on Shaik Rasheed, INR 1.50 crore on Jamie Overton, and INR 2 crore on Nathan Ellis.
Overall, the squad looks promising again, with several quality players from top to bottom. A few picks were perplexing, but the thought process behind shaping this squad is understandable.
CSK must choose between Rachin Ravindra and Noor Ahmad for their fourth overseas slot and they should go with the latter. That means CSK need a batter in the middle order and Shaik Rasheed solves numerous issues. He bats at No.3 or 4 for his domestic side and given his superior skill sets, Rasheed can easily bat at No.5.
He is technically sound and has the game to bat in different gears, which will be crucial in the middle overs. His presence at No.5 allows CSK to give the best possible slots to the main batters in the top four. Rahul’s best comes at No.3, while Dube can tonk spinners at No.4. Both have done exceedingly well at these positions.
If a few wickets fall early, Rasheed can be promoted to No.4 to counter movement since he has classic strokeplay. CSK have the options of Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar, but their recent form hasn’t been convincing and they don’t have a top-tier track record in the league either. So, it’s worth giving someone new a go and CSK can bring in one of them if the move doesn’t work.
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Jamie Overton and Sam Curran are quality players, but Overton’s expertise will be more suited to this CSK lineup. He solves multiple issues in the batting and bowling departments, which Curran can’t. Firstly, Overton is a pace-hitter and his presence will ease the workload on MS Dhoni since CSK are massively dependent on Dhoni to finish the innings.
Ravindra Jadeja’s hitting skills have regressed and Curran is not a pace-hitter. He has serious limitations against hard lengths at a high pace and his batting value comes in the middle order, but no place is vacant in the middle. Further, Overton’s ability to hit slower deliveries better than Curran will be handy in CSK’s home games, where the ball grips and holds onto the surface.
CSK don’t have any middle-over enforcer in the bowling lineup and he has the pace to crank it up and hit hard lengths consistently. Most IPL surfaces are flat and Curran has shown his vulnerability on tracks where his slower ones didn’t grip in the previous seasons. While Overton’s success is not guaranteed, he has a higher probability of succeeding with the ball, especially in away fixtures.
Multiple reasons are going against Rachin Ravindra, which might force CSK to bench him at least in the first few matches. Firstly, despite all the talent, Rachin hasn’t cracked the T20s yet. He has aced the 50-over format and possesses immense talent, but those performances haven’t come in the shortest version.
Secondly, his best batting position is in the top three, but no place is vacant here. As mentioned above, Rahul’s best comes at No.3 and if they change his spot, Shivam Dube will also be demoted. That means CSK need to change several batting positions for a batter who hasn’t flourished in the format yet.
If he bats at No.5, Rachin might fail since he has yet to learn to bat at this tricky position. He hasn’t done anything significant while batting at his preferred spot, so risking him in the middle order is not ideal. He can come in the main XI if Devon Conway is injured because Conway has already proved his worth in the league.
While Rachin Ravindra doesn’t find a place in the main XI, he can be used as an impact player in a few matches. CSK should go with only three overseas players and decide whether they need Rachin’s services during the game. He gets no chance in the main XI, but match situations can open a spot for him.
Suppose a few early wickets fall, and the situation for an anchor arises. Rachin can come in for that role because he knows how to weave long innings and has the game to navigate the new-ball movement. His strokeplay is among the finest in the world.
So, he will be an option, but the only thing that matters is his entry point. Rachin can’t come when batters don’t have room for innings construction and need to go hard from the start. He is bound to fail more often in such situations.
Noor Ahmad should be CSK’s impact player in IPL 2025 and play almost every game. Noor is a match-winner and doesn’t need to rely on spinning tracks to bring wickets. The other two spinners – Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – are more defensive options and can bowl accurately to churn economical spells.
So, CSK need a wicket-taker in the spin department, especially in away games. Noor ticks that box and his value will automatically increase in Chennai. Another thing is that CSK don’t have a dominating pace attack.
Khaleel Ahmed specialises with the new ball, but Matheesha Pathirana is vulnerable and can go for plenty on flat surfaces. Jamie Overton hasn’t played at this level yet and even if CSK play Sam Curran, he is not a great option. So, spinners must do the heavy lifting and Noor needs to play all the games.
CSK were lucky to get Nathan Ellis at just INR 2 crore. Among the finest T20 bowlers in world cricket, IPL teams haven’t realised Ellis’ true potential yet. CSK rate him highly and they can use him as an impact player.
While Noor is an option, the Yellow Army can opt for Ellis for a few games due to his supreme skill sets in deathovers. He has a range of slower ones and knows how to use them effectively. His over-construction method is among the best in world cricket.
CSK already have Matheesha Pathirana, who might perform the same role, so Ellis might have to warm the bench again. But if he gets injured or conditions demand an additional speedster, CSK should prefer Ellis over everyone else. That’s why they should go with only three foreign players if they bat first. It will allow them to remain flexible and bring the fourth overseas player according to the match conditions and situations.
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