IPL Auction 2025: Tushar Deshpande vows to play for CSK's biggest rivals after being left out

Tushar Deshpande has risen the ranks through his performances for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Deshpande has improved significantly over the years and become one of the most dependable bowlers in the IPL.

Recently, he was asked about his favorite team other than CSK. The fast bowler picked Mumbai Indians as that team and claimed that he would love to be picked by the franchise if CSK doesn't go for him.

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Tushar Deshpande picks Mumbai Indians as his favorite team other than CSK

During a conversation with Crictracker, Tushar Deshpande was asked about the team he would like to be picked other than Chennai Super Kings. The 29-year-old revealed that he would like to get a bid from Mumbai Indians.

Deshpande reasoned by saying that playing for Mumbai Indians would allow him to play on his home ground Wanhede Stadium. He further hailed the atmosphere at Wankhede and reaffirmed his desire to play for MI.

“If Not CSK Then I Would Love To Play For Mumbai Indians” : Deshpande@mipaltan Please Get Him in Mumbai Indians At Any Cost 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/ncufUmixtM

— Junaid Khan (@JunaidKhanation) November 22, 2024

"If not CSK, I would love to get a bid from Mumbai Indians because it's been my home team, and playing for your home team in front of your home crowd is a different feeling. I have played in Wankhede a couple of times," Deshpande said.

"The atmosphere is completely different playing in front of your home crowd. Even if I was playing in the yellow jersey, people were cheering for me. So, I would love to have an opportunity to play for Mumbai Indians if not CSK," he added.

Tushar Deshpande plays domestic cricket for Mumbai and has played at the Wankhede Stadium since his childhood days. He knows the stadium well and is quite familiar with the atmosphere at the ground.

Tushar Deshpande IPL numbers

Deshpande has played 36 IPL matches in which he has picked 42 wickets at an average of 29.60 and an economy rate of 9.65. The last two seasons have been excellent for him in the IPL.

In IPL 2023, he picked up 21 wickets in 16 matches. In the last season in 2024, he picked up 17 wickets in 13 matches while playing for Chennai Super Kings. Over the years, he has grown into an improved bowler with the new ball as well as in the death overs.

Will CSK retain Tushar Deshpande?

However, he was not retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, which means he will be up on the auction table in the upcoming days. It remains to be seen whether CSK signs him up again or not.

Based on his IPL performances, Tushar Deshpande was selected in India's squad for the T20I series against Zimbabwe just after the T20 World Cup 2024. He has played two T20Is so far, picking up 2 wickets at an average of 27.50 and an economy rate of 9.16.