Suresh Raina, former India cricketer and long-time Chennai Super Kings (CSK) stalwart, has offered a blunt assessment of CSK’s troubling IPL 2025 campaign. Speaking on Star Sports, Raina revealed that while he was never directly involved in auction strategies during his playing days, MS Dhoni would typically be consulted before key decisions.
However, looking at CSK’s current squad composition and dismal performances, Raina feels it’s clear Dhoni had little say this time around.
“They always used to make a call to MS. I was never close to the auction planning, to be honest. I never had any discussions with the management about these things,” Suresh Raina said. “MS used to get a call sometimes — whether to bid for a particular player or not — but he was never fully involved. Looking at how this auction went, it’s obvious — Dhoni aisa auction kar hi nahi sakta (Dhoni could never conduct an auction like this). He would simply specify the four or five players he wanted, and that’s it.”
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Raina had earlier slammed Chennai’s auction strategy after their heavy defeat to Mumbai Indians, and he doubled down on his criticism following another meek loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The curious case of Chennai’s struggles in #TATAIPL! 🧐
With #SRH getting their revenge over #CSK, #SureshRaina breaks down how things went off track right from the auction table.#IPLonJioStar 👉 #KKRvPBKS | 26th APR, SAT, 6:30 PM | LIVE on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 Hindi &… pic.twitter.com/ZgzLD4h7la
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 26, 2025
With just two wins so far, CSK find themselves staring at back-to-back seasons without a playoff berth — a first in their storied IPL history. Adding further, Raina defended Dhoni’s continued presence in the team at 43 years of age.
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“He’s playing not just for the brand or the fandom — he’s putting in the effort. At 43, he’s keeping wickets, captaining the side, and carrying the burden of the entire team,” Suresh Raina said. “The question is, what are the other 10 players doing? Where are the performances from those signed for 18 crores, 17 crores, or even 12 crores? They are simply not stepping up to support their captain.”
