"You might get 16 crores if you sell him off" - Ravichandran Ashwin on CSK retaining Ravindra Jadeja ahead of mini auction
Star Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was retained by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2023 mini-auction, putting an end to all the reports suggesting a rift between the two parties.
Reacting to the same, Ravichandran Ashwin mentioned that the franchise made the right call by not parting ways with the left-hander. He suggested that while CSK would have gotten ₹16 crore by releasing Jadeja, it would not have been possible to find a replacement for him, given his all-round abilities.
The veteran spinner also pointed out that trading Jadeja to another team would have made that side significantly stronger going into the auction. Ashwin made these remarks while speaking on his YouTube channel.
He explained:
"Imagine a player of Ravindra Jadeja's stature saying that he wants to play for a different team. You need to think about this from two perspectives. A player like him leaving your team is one thing.
"You might get 16 crores if you sell him off. But how are you going to replace an Indian player like him? Secondly, if you trade him off to another team, how strong are you making that team? So, that's really unrealistic. I think a more rational decision prevailed."
Notably, Jadeja was appointed as the captain of CSK ahead of this year's cash-rich league. However, he relinquished the position after just eight matches and MS Dhoni was back at the helm of the team.
The four-time champions had a dismal campaign, finishing in the penultimate position in the points table. Chennai managed to win just four matches in the edition. It is worth mentioning that Jadeja didn't feature in the team's final fixtures as he was ruled out due to a knee injury.
"CSK might go for him" - Ravichandran Ashwin feels Chennai might look to rope in Manish Pandey at IPL 2023 auction
Ashwin further went on to add that Manish Pandey could be on CSK's radar, given that they are in search of an Indian batter following Robin Uthappa's retirement.
He predicted that the MS Dhoni-led side would consider bidding for Pandey at the event. It is worth mentioning that the right-handed batter was with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for the previous season. However, he was not retained by the franchise.
The 36-year-old added:
"Manish Pandey is an interesting release. There will be demand for Indian batters, and therefore, Manish Pandey will be heavily sought after. Teams like CSK might go for him as well because they need an Indian batter."
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The upcoming IPL 2023 mini-auction will take place in Kochi on December 23. The Chennai-based franchise will go into the event with a purse of ₹20.45 crore.