The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) continue to be at the centre of trade discussions involving Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson. Former India and CSK batter Suresh Raina has made his stance loud and clear that his former teammate Jadeja must stay. The all-rounder, who has been one of the pillars of CSK’s success since joining in 2011, has reportedly been in talks with Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a possible trade ahead of IPL 2026. But Raina believes letting him go would be a huge mistake.
Raina backs Jadeja to stay with CSK
Speaking on JioStar, Raina named the key players he feels CSK should retain ahead of the retention deadline. He placed Jadeja right at the top of that list. “Ravindra Jadeja should be retained again. He is a gun player for CSK. He has done really, really well for the team over the years, so ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’ has to be there,” Raina said.
The former vice-captain added that Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and young spinner Noor Ahmad should also be retained. While the video where Raina gave his views may have been shot before all the Jadeja-Samson swap saga, it shows how emotional the connection has been between CSK and Jadeja. Dhoni, Jadeja and Raina are considered the three pillars of CSK.
Jadeja-Samson saga continues
According to multiple reports, CSK could send Jadeja and one of Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana to Jaipur in exchange for Samson in a deal that has been under negotiation for weeks. With the IPL 2026 rentention deadline set for November 15, the discussions between CSK and RR have dominated the headlines. Rajasthan initially held talks with Delhi Capitals for a swap involving Samson and Tristan Stubbs, but the deal fell apart after RR’s additional request for uncapped batter Sameer Rizvi. Once the Delhi move collapsed, RR reopened communication with CSK, and Jadeja agreed.
Raina suggests releasing Conway, Shankar, and Hooda
While urging CSK to hold on to Jadeja, Raina also advised the franchise to part ways with some players. He specifically mentioned Devon Conway, Vijay Shankar, and Deepak Hooda as names who should be released before the auction.
“Devon Conway should be released. CSK need a local opener, which they will look for in the mini-auction. Vijay Shankar has already received plenty of chances. So I think CSK should release him as well. Deepak Hooda should be released too. There are a lot of players available in the mini-auction who can provide the same combination for the team. These players got their chances last year, and we saw how they played. So, probably CSK will have to look for someone new.”
Overall, CSK batters scored 2315 runs in the entire tournament at an ordinary strike rate of 138.29, which is also the lowest. The next worst is KKR with an SR of 143.20. This is despite CSK facing the most deliveries (1674) in the tournament (till Match 69).
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