Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has addressed rumors about the franchise’s interest in signing the Indian wicket keeper batsman Rishabh Pant ahead of the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction. Kasi also reflected that their primary focus remains on retaining core players from the IPL 2024 season. 

Notably, the speculation around Pant’s future began after Delhi Capitals released the wicketkeeper-batter, marking him as one of three high-profile Indian players, alongside KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, entering the IPL 2025 mega auction at a base price of INR 2 crore.

‘We had discussions with Ruturaj…’ – CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan

In an interview with former CSK player Ambati Rayudu on Provoke TV, Kasi discussed the franchise’s auction strategy, hinting that CSK may prioritize existing team members over pursuing Rishabh Pant. 

“We had discussions with Ruturaj, the captain, MS (Dhoni) and coach Stephen Fleming before we decided on the retention. We were very clear that the players that helped the team grow, stabilize in the previous years were the ones very important for the CSK team to continue further”, Kasi revealed. 

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CSK has already retained key players, including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and Matheesha Pathirana, leaving them with INR 55 crore in the auction purse. While Kasi acknowledged the allure of adding big-name players, he admitted that a smaller auction budget limits CSK’s capacity to compete for marquee stars.

“We’ll still try, but realistically, it may be challenging to secure top-tier names in the auction,” Kasi added.

Despite signaling caution, Kasi didn’t completely rule out bidding on high-profile Indian players but emphasized re-signing overseas talents like Devon Conway and Maheesh Theekshana, as well as Indian pacer Deepak Chahar. 

CSK also holds one Right-To-Match (RTM) card, which could come into play in the mega auction.