Chennai Super Kings Retained Players 2027 — Retention List, Rules & 2025 Recap
CSK · Retention deadline 15 November 2026 · Salary cap Rs 157 crore · Head coach: Zaheer Khan
What to Watch on the CSK List
Chennai's 2027 list is the most fascinating in the league: a new head coach in Zaheer Khan, Sanju Samson traded in from Rajasthan, and a squad that finished eighth in 2026. How much of the old core survives Zaheer's first list — and how the franchise handles the MS Dhoni question for one more cycle — will be read first on this list.
CSK Retention History — the Pattern
Chennai's 2025 list contained the cycle's most debated line: MS Dhoni retained at Rs 4 crore under the uncapped-player rule, which applied because he had not played international cricket for more than five years. It freed crores for the rest of the list — Gaikwad and Jadeja at Rs 18 crore each — and it is the kind of structural detail that decides how much room a first-time head coach's list has to work with.
Chennai Super Kings Retentions at the 2025 Mega Auction (Verified)
The last full retention event set the contracts this cycle still runs on. CSK retained 5 players and entered the 2025 auction with Rs 55 crore remaining — the reference point for judging the 2027 list.
| Player retained (2025) | Price |
|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Rs 18 crore |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Rs 18 crore |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Rs 13 crore |
| Shivam Dube | Rs 12 crore |
| MS Dhoni | Rs 4 (uncapped) crore |
The Rules CSK Are Working To
IPL 2027 is a mini-auction year: there is no slab-based retention event and no Right-to-Match. Chennai Super Kings simply confirm which contracted players they keep — each salary counting in full against the Rs 157 crore cap — and which they release into the 16 December Goa auction pool. Trades remain possible until 9 December 2026. Current captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad. Full squad: Chennai Super Kings squad page. League-wide picture: IPL 2027 Retention Hub.
Full CSK Squad → CSK Auction 2027 → Retention Hub →
Frequently Asked Questions
Which players did Chennai Super Kings retain at the 2025 mega auction?
Chennai Super Kings retained 5 players: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni. The top-priced retention was Ruturaj Gaikwad at Rs 18 crore, and the franchise went into the 2025 auction with Rs 55 crore of purse remaining.
When will Chennai Super Kings announce their retained players for IPL 2027?
Franchise retained/released lists for IPL 2027 are due by 15 November 2026. Chennai Super Kings have not published their official list yet — when they do, this page carries the full list with salaries in the same update cycle.
How much purse will Chennai Super Kings have at the IPL 2027 auction?
The exact figure depends on their official retained/released list against the Rs 157 crore salary cap, so it is PENDING until the list is published. For context, at the last full retention event (2025) CSK retained 5 players and still had Rs 55 crore left for the auction.