MS Dhoni At 7, No Noor Ahmad! Ambati Rayudu Picks CSK's Probable Playing XI For IPL 2025
20-year-old Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad, who has 24 wickets to his name in 23 IPL matches played so far, was signed for Rs 10 crore by CSK in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Six-time IPL champion and former Chennai Super Kings star batter Ambati Rayudu has picked Men in Yellow’s probable playing XI for the upcoming 2025 season of the cash-rich league. According to Rayudu, who has donned the hat of an expert and commentator now, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will open the innings with New Zealand batter Devon Conway and 25-year-old left-handed batting all-rounder Rachin Ravindra will come in at No. 3.
Ravindra was signed for Rs 4 crore by the Chennai-based franchise in the IPL 2025 mega auction using the RTM card. The Kiwi star, who made his IPL debut last year, is in red-hot form these days. He scored two centuries in four Champions Trophy 2025 matches for the Black Caps and won the Player of the Series award.
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For the No. 4 batter’s role, Rayudu feels there will be a toss-up between Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi and Vijay Shankar, who were signed for Rs 1.70 crore, Rs 3.40 crore and Rs 1.20 crore, respectively.
All-rounder Shivam Dube, who was retained for Rs 12 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, will bat at No. 5 for the five-time IPL champions in the 2025 season, and the next three batters will be Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni and Sam Curran.
CSK signed England all-rounder Sam Curran for Rs 2.40 crore in the mega auction last year, and he will be seen in action for the Chennai-based side once again after three years.
Senior Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who joined the side for Rs 9.75 crore, is included as a No. 9 player in the probable XI by Rayudu, and he picked Anshul Kamboj and Matheesha Pathirana as two outright fast bowling options.
As for the impact option, Rayudu feels he could be an Indian batter or spinner depending on the conditions.
The notable absentee from Rayudu’s probable XI was, however, Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad. CSK signed Noor for Rs 10 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, and the way franchise owners fought for him at the auction table indicated that they were determined to secure his services.
CSK’s probable playing XI for IPL 2025 (according to Ambati Rayudu): Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda/Rahul Tripathi/Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana.
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