IPL 2018 Auction: What team combinations to expect

Chennai Super Kings

CSK to will want to pick up from where they left off, two years ago

Players retained - MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja

Right to match cards available : 2

The talking point of IPL 2018 is Dhoni playing for CSK. CSK has been one of the most celebrated teams in IPL.

And the reason for this has been its star studded team. CSK has been blessed to field some of the best T20 players in the world. But this time, it's not going to be easy for them. They already had a limited number of players to choose from, and the players they have retained might be well past their prime.

Raina hasn't been part of the national side for a long time and his form in the domestic tournaments has not been so impressive. While Jadeja does provide the all-round option, his ability to perform in high pressure situations has come under the scanner of late.

Dhoni is still the same, though, and his astute leadership is an asset to any side, but the dip in his hitting abilities in the death overs means that they will have to look for a specialist for the job. Another matter of concern for them is the purse that they go to auction with, which has reduced due to the retention of three players.

They do have two RTM cards though, and they have some really good options, Dwyane Bravo, Brendon McCullum, Faf du Plessis and Dwayne Smith. They all played for CSK in 2015 which means CSK is well within its rationale to retain these players. But then the question is, are they really that effective now?

So it will be interesting to see how CSK goes about their retention business.

Prediction for the RTM cards - Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis