Suresh Raina sniffs CSK's dressing room feud!! Claims MS Dhoni wasn't taken into confidence

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina has openly criticized the franchise’s approach during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Raina stated that skipper MS Dhoni had little to no involvement in the auction decisions after CSK suffered their seventh defeat of the season against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

SunRisers Hyderabad secured a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Friday, April 25. CSK were dismissed for just 154 in 19.5 overs. In response, SRH chased down the target with eight balls to spare. The MS Dhoni-led team registered their fourth loss at home and is at the bottom of the points table.

MS Dhoni Could Never Do an Auction Like This - Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina raised his concerns about the franchise’s auction tactics following the team’s loss to the Mumbai Indians. Raina added that MS Dhoni had limited influence over the squad selection. The commentator stated that Dhoni could never have conducted an auction in this manner.

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"They (management) always make a call to MS, I remember that. I was never close to the auction planning, to be very honest. I never had a discussion with the management regarding all of this. MS used to get a call sometimes, whether to get a player or not, or make a bid, but he was never fully involved," Raina said on Star Sports.

"The manner with which they did this auction, you can imagine, Dhoni aisa auction kar hi nahi sakta (Dhoni can never do an auction like this). He will mention the 4-5 players that he wants, that is it," he added.

CSK Retained Core Group, Including MS Dhoni, Ahead of Mega Auction

Chennai Super Kings retained a core group of players, including MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana. CSK invested in their spin attack, spending ₹19.75 crore on Noor Ahmad and Ravichandran Ashwin. They also brought back Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra.

However, several of those acquisitions have failed to deliver. Ashwin, once a key figure for CSK between 2008 and 2015, has managed just five wickets in seven outings at a disappointing economy of 9.29. Meanwhile, Conway and Ravindra have produced only two half-centuries across 11 combined innings.

Chennai Super Kings had to make mid-season changes to their squad due to injuries. They brought in Ayush Mhatre to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad and signed Dewald Brevis after Gurjapneet Singh was ruled out.

The 18 Crore, 17 Crore, 12 Crore Players Are Not Responding - Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina also criticized the Chennai Super Kings players for not supporting captain MS Dhoni. Raina pointed out that Dhoni continues to give his all at 43, but the high-priced players have failed to deliver.

"A 43-year-old captain, who is playing as a brand and for fandom, is putting in the effort. He is keeping wickets at this age, captaining the side, taking the entire weight of the team on his shoulders. What are the other 10 players doing? The 18 crore, 17 crore, 12 crore players are not responding to the captain," the CSK legend said.

Also read: Watch- Rohit Sharma scolds Shardul Thakur for indiscipline