Why are they assembling uncapped players?

Former India player Aakash Chopra has opined that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have already started preparing for IPL 2026. He pointed out that the five-time champions have started acquiring players, including uncapped ones, mid-season this year to have the option of retaining them before the mini-auction.

CSK will lock horns against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 52 of IPL 2025 in Bengaluru on Saturday, May 3. With four points from 10 games, MS Dhoni and company are placed last on the points table and are already knocked out of the playoff race.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former India opener noted that CSK are bringing in mid-season replacements, including uncapped players, to test them out before deciding their retentions.

“Chennai have already started thinking about the next year. So the focus is on players they might want to retain or let go. The sort of team they are playing, they are not even thinking that something can happen this season. It seems like Urvil Patel’s name will also come in this team,” Chopra said (9:35).

“A small truth is that you cannot take a replacement after 12 matches. So they will have to get a replacement now itself. Why are they assembling uncapped players, or why did they bring in Dewald Brevis? Bringing them mid-season will imply that you can retain them. If Dewald Brevis reaches a mini-auction, he might be very expensive,” he added.

CSK have onboarded Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis as replacements for Ruturaj Gaikwad and Gurjapneet Singh, respectively. While the Mumbai opener was acquired for ₹30 lakh, the South African batter’s inclusion cost them ₹2.20 crore.

“He shouldn’t come at No. 5 or No. 6” – Aakash Chopra on Shivam Dube ahead of CSK’s IPL 2025 clash vs RCB

In the same video, Aakash Chopra opined that Saturday’s game will be crucial for Shivam Dube and urged the Chennai Super Kings to bat the big-hitter up the order.

“I feel it’s an important match for Shivam Dube, and he should be made to bat up the order. He shouldn’t come at No. 5 or No. 6. You are sending Sam Curran and Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) together, then Brevis, and Shivam Dube after that. Shivam Dube has scored runs on this ground,” he said (10:30).

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that CSK should look to build their middle order around Dube and not look at him solely as a finisher.

“It’s also true that Josh Hazlewood will come as soon as Shivam Dube comes, but I still feel you should send Shivam Dube. You will want to build your middle order around him. He doesn’t have to be a finisher only. He was left standing at one end in the last match. Everyone else got out,” Chopra observed.

To conclude, Aakash Chopra opined that Shivam Dube, Noor Ahmad, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Khaleel Ahmed and MS Dhoni might be the only CSK players with guaranteed positions for next year. He added that the rest of the players, especially the expensive ones, including Ravindra Jadeja, will be on notice in their remaining four IPL 2025 matches.

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Kartik is a cricket writer at Sportskeeda with four years of overall professional experience. He writes news articles for the platform and always strives to deliver authentic and accurate content by obtaining information only from credible sources.

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