Virender Sehwag names underperforming CSK players who might get released after IPL 2025

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag picked four players from the current Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad who should be released after the 2025 IPL season. It came after CSK lost their seventh game in nine outings against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai on April 25.

A fourth consecutive loss at home kept CSK at the bottom of the table.

With their playoff qualification hopes almost done, barring a miracle, Sehwag felt CSK should release Ravichandran Ashwin, Vijay Shankar, Rachin Ravindra, and Devon Conway ahead of next season.

Talking about the same after the CSK-SRH clash on Cricbuzz, Sehwag said (Via India Today):

"I think Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, R. Ashwin, and Vijay Shankar — these are names we might not see in CSK next season. And if I were there, I would definitely replace them and bring in fresh young players. Because now, if you’re building a team — build it for the next ten years, not just one season. That era of building a team for just a year — that’s probably over now."

Ashwin has been one of the biggest letdowns after returning to the franchise he played with from 2008 to 2015, picking up only five wickets in seven matches at an economy of 9.29. The Kiwi duo of Conway and Ravindra have combined for only two half-centuries in 11 combined innings at the top of the order.

Meanwhile, Shankar scored at a strike rate of under 130 in his five innings with the bat.

"They'll finally realize what it feels like to be at the bottom of the table" - Virender Sehwag

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Virender Sehwag took a dig at CSK by mentioning how satisfying it would be to see the five-time champions finish at the bottom of the table. CSK have never finished at the bottom in their rich 15-year IPL history.

The Men in Yellow are also on the verge of missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in league history.

"I can't say for sure whether Chennai will finish 10th or not, but if they do, that's sweet too! Because then they'll finally realize what it feels like to be at the bottom of the table. After all this time, after playing so many finals, they haven’t experienced this," said Sehwag.

CSK will look to stop the bleeding in their next outing against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chennai on April 30.

About the author

Venkatesh has been writing cricket news, listicle and feature articles for Sportskeeda for over a year. He loves cricket because of the diversity of the playing fields and its unparalleled nuances, which no other sport presents. He also enjoys the analytical and quantitative side of the sport, which originates from his MBA degree and 10 years of experience in the IT industry in companies like Infosys, Atos and TCS.

Venkatesh ensures proper research from reliable sources and social media trends to gather information, and adds his own dash of creativity to create insightful content.

He started watching cricket in the late 1990s, having been impressed with South Africa and New Zealand’s gentleman-like attitude. Domestically, he supports the Chennai Super Kings for their ability to bring the best out of their players owing to a friendly and conducive team environment.

He admires three cricketers the most – Brian Lara for his batting style, AB de Villiers for changing the paradigm of batting and MS Dhoni for his unique cerebral approach to field placings and batting. Along with cricket, Venkatesh also enjoys watching and playing tennis and basketball. In his free time, he finds pleasure in singing and watching movies and web series.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran