3 CSK players who are in form heading into IPL 2025 ft. Rachin Ravindra

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will begin their IPL 2025 campaign with an El Clásico tussle against famed rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 23. The five-time champions narrowly missed out on qualifying for the playoffs last season and will be keen to come up with a much better performance in the upcoming IPL edition.

Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction held in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, CSK retained five players - Ruturaj Gaikwad (₹18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (₹18 crore), Shivam Dube (₹12 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (₹13 crore), and MS Dhoni (₹4 crore). Dhoni was retained as an uncapped Indian player as per IPL's modified rules.

At the IPL 2025 auction, CSK purchased 20 players, retaining Rachin Ravindra for ₹4 crore via the Right To Match (RTM) option. Afghanistan's left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad was their most expensive purchase at ₹10 crore. They also purchased Ravichandaran Ashwin for ₹9.75 crore.

As we build up to IPL 2025, we take a look at three players from Chennai Super Kings who are in form heading into the T20 tournament.

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#1 Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra had a sensational 2025 Champions Trophy. The New Zealand batting all-rounder finished as the leading run-getter in the ICC event, scoring 263 runs in four innings at an average of 65.75 and a strike rate of 106.47, with two hundreds to his credit. For his fantastic performance with the bat, Ravindra was named the Player of the Tournament even as New Zealand lost the final to India.

The 25-year-old scored 112 off 105 balls in the Kiwis' Group A clash against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, hammering 12 fours and a six. In the second semifinal against South Africa in Lahore, he clubbed 108 off 101 balls, slamming 13 fours and a six. Ravindra, who also took the wicket of Aiden Markram and held on to two catches, was the easy choice for the Player of the Match.

The southpaw was looking good for a big knock in the final against India as well when he was dismissed for 37 off 29 balls, cleaned up by Kuldeep Yadav. Apart from his batting exploits, Ravindra also picked up three wickets with his left-arm spin. CSK will have high hopes from the versatile Kiwi player in IPL 2025.

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#2 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja will be a key player for CSK in IPL 2025. (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy, there were plenty of question marks hanging over veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja's future. Some reports ahead of the ICC event claimed that the cricketer might not be picked for the tournament and that his international career might be as good as over.

Jadeja, however, proved his critics wrong, coming up with impressive performances with the ball during Team India's victorious 2025 Champions Trophy campaign. In five innings, he picked up five wickets with his left-arm spin at an average of 36.60 and an excellent economy rate of 4.35.

The 36-year-old picked up one wicket each against Pakistan and New Zealand in the group stage, without giving away too many runs. In the first semifinal against Australia, he registered figures of 2-40, picking up Marnus Labuschagne and Josh Inglis. Jadeja registered economical figures of 1-30 in the final against the Kiwis and then also hit the winning runs, like he did for CSK in the IPL 2023 final.

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#3 Shivam Dube

Mumbai batting all-rounder Shivam Dube was not part of India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad. The cricketer retained by CSK, however, came up with some impressive performances in the domestic season. The 31-year-old scored 28 & 48 in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 quarterfinal against Haryana in Kolkata. In the semifinal, he picked up five wickets in the first innings against Vidarbha.

Before the Ranji Trophy knockout games, Dube also impressed in the home T20Is against England. The CSK all-rounder scored 53 off 34 in the fourth match in Pune, slamming seven fours and two sixes. In the fifth T20I in Mumbai, he clobbered 30 off 13 and picked up two crucial wickets with his medium pace.