Aakash Chopra picks the players CSK should retain for IPL 2018

The Governing Council of Indian Premier League (IPL) cleared on Wednesday that the teams can retain a maximum of five players for the next edition of the league. The news came as a huge one for the fans of Chennai Super Kings as their hero MS Dhoni was all set to return in the yellow jersey. However, the former cricketer Aakash Chopra has picked his five players whom the CSK franchise should retain for the 11th season of the lucrative competition.

The cricketer turned commentator is currently busy in covering the ongoing series between India and Sri Lanka. The franchises CSK and Rajasthan Royals will return to the manifold of the T20 league after serving the suspension of two-year for their involvement in the spot-fixing saga in 2013. Moreover, CSK has also announced MS Dhoni as their skipper which means they will surely retain the stalwart.

Aakash opines his retentions

Aakash Chopra, while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, opined the players whom he would keep in his side for CSK. “CSK would get their players back, who went to Gujarat Lions and Rising Pune Supergiant. There are a quite a few, could be MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin and Dwayne Bravo. It will be interesting to see,” he said. The analyst also felt that the franchises would have to be more cautious while using their right-to-match cards during the auction.

“If you (any team) were to retain all five, you will also end up losing more than 50 percent of the purse. Now, teams will have to be more prudent and cautious to use their cards and retentions wisely,” he added. CSK was one of the strongest sides of the tournament since its inception and the franchise is in no mood to let off their best players in their comeback year to the tournament. It would be interesting to see the way the way they strategize their retention.