The opening conundrums might be there with the likes of Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), but it won’t be a problem for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will have his opening partner sorted. It is a New Zealander, who is touted as one of the key members in the Kiwi setup. No, we aren’t talking about Devon Conway but Rachin Ravindra, who has taken the ICC Champions Trophy by a storm.
Rachin Ravindra’s form huge plus for CSK & NZ
Rachin Ravindra made his comeback after an injury in the second match for New Zealand, which was against Bangladesh. This match was an interesting one where New Zealand wanted a win to secure their spot in the semifinals. The batter played like he had never been out. He scored 112 runs against Bangladesh and achieved a century. New Zealand won and confirmed their place in the semifinals.
However, the star in Pakistan didn’t show his talent off in Dubai. In the match against India in Dubai, which was the last group contest, Rachin failed to impress, as he only scored 6 runs. But the batter came back to Lahore, played the semifinals against South Africa, and scored a century again, raising his bat in fashion as he also managed to become one of the top scorer in the Champions Trophy. He became the top scorer on the same ground, where he got injured last month.
Gaikwad-Rachin partnership the most stable at IPL 2025?
Despite Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad being two of the most stable batters, Rachin Ravindra adds more value. The left-handedness remains the same but he can take any bowlers on from the onset. There doesn’t seem to have any sort of flaw in his game. Also, CSK loves having multi-faceted players at their helm and Rachin’s left-arm spin adds further value.
Rachin Ravindra stats at ICC Champions Trophy
| Runs | Inns | Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 226 | 3 | 75.33 | 103.67 |
CSK IPL 2025 auction picks
Devon Conway ✈️(Rs 6.25 crore), Rahul Tripathi (Rs 3.40 crore), Rachin Ravindra ✈️(Rs 4 crore), Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 9.75 crore), Khaleel Ahmed (Rs 4.80 crore), Noor Ahmad ✈️(Rs 10 crore), Vijay Shankar (Rs 1.20 crore), Sam Curran ✈️(Rs 2.40 crore), Shaik Rasheed (Rs 30 lakh), Anshul Kamboj (Rs 3.40 crore), Mukesh Choudhary (Rs 30 lakh), Deepak Hooda (Rs 1.70 crore), Gurjapneet Singh (Rs 2.20 crore), Nathan Ellis ✈️(Rs 2 crore), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 30 lakh), Ramakrishna Ghosh (Rs 30 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (Rs 30 lakh), Vansh Bedi (Rs 55 lakh), Andre Siddharth (Rs 30 lakh), Jamie Overton ✈️(Rs 1.5 crore)
CSK IPL 2025 retained players list
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 18 crore), Shivam Dube (Rs 12 crore), Matheesha Pathirana ✈️(Rs 13 crore), MS Dhoni (Rs 4 crore)
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