No Raina, Moeen Ali! Former CSK star names four players MS Dhoni & Co. should retain ahead of IPL 2022

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be looking to retain a strong core group of players ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction. The four-time champions have a number of players on the wrong side of their 30s and are set for a major overhaul this time around.

The deadline for the existing eight IPL teams to submit their final list of retained players is November 30 (Tuesday). All eight teams can retain a maximum of four players each while the two new teams - Lucknow and Ahmedabad can pick three players each from the pool of non-retained players.

Former Chennai Super Kings star Subramaniam Badrinath recently picked four players who he feels the franchise should retain ahead of the mega auction. Badrinath picked captain MS Dhoni, star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, and openers Faf du Plessis, and Ruturaj Gaikwad as the four players CSK should keep.

As per multiple reports, CSK are set to retain the trio of Dhoni, Jadeja and Gaikwad but have not yet decided on who should be their final fourth retention. All-rounders Moeen Ali and Sam Curran are reportedly among the favourites to be retained by the franchise, however, no official confirmation has been made yet.

The decision to retain Dhoni will not be an easy one for CSK as the captain cool is past his best now and is no more than batter he once was. Dhoni's waning prowess with the bat and his struggles have been quite evident in the last couple of seasons.

While he has already retired from international cricket, Dhoni continues to lead CSK in the IPL. He is set to be retained but the CSK captain, as per reports, has asked the franchise to not retain him as a first-choice player and instead give better deals to the other players who are to be retained.

Also Read: Most expensive player in IPL? KL Rahul offered staggering amount by Lucknow franchise 

Chennai Super Kings, who had missed out on a spot in the playoffs in IPL 2020, made a stunning comeback in IPL 2021 as they went on to lift the trophy for the fourth time in the history of the competition. CSK remains one of the most successful franchises in the history of IPL with four titles and nine final appearances in just 12 seasons.