3 players Chennai Super Kings are expected to retain for IPL 2018

Chennai Super Kings are returning to this year's IPL after a two-year ban. They will get an option to retain players from their 2015 IPL squad. Many things have changed since they last played in the IPL. MS Dhoni has taken retirement from Test Cricket, he has stepped down as the captain of the Indian Team, handing over the reign to Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin aren't a part of the Indian T20 Team now.

The Chennai Super Kings management will would love to get their core team back. However, they are allowed to retain only 3 players. 

Here are the three players who the Chennai Super Kings - CSK are expected to retain on their return to the IPL:

1. MS Dhoni

The CSK management would love to retain MS Dhoni due to his out-of-the-world fan following in Tamil Nadu. Also, the Chennai Super Kings need a leader in order to reestablish their destroyed empire and nobody is better then Dhoni. 

Dhoni is IPL's most successful captain, having won the Chennai Super Kings two IPL trophies and two Champions League trophies. Well, if you have MS Dhoni in your squad, no doubt, you aren't going to let go of him.

2. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina, the highest run scorer in the IPL, having scored 4540 runs from 157 innings at a strike rate of 139.09. He had played a major role in CSK's consistent performances over the years. Chennai Super Kings can give him his favorite one-down batting slot.

Raina is just 30 years old, and is a fantastic athlete. He has another 4-5 years left in him, and just like Dhoni, he is adored by the Chennai Super Kings' fans. He is a handy off-spinner and an outstanding fielder and it would be a huge mistake if they let Raina go.

3. Brendon McCullum

The right handed Kiwi batsman is another player whom CSK shall retain. Batting at the top of the order, McCullum has given excellent starts to whichever team he has represented. In 2014 and 2015, McCullum played for CSK and played multiple match winning knocks. In 2016 and 2017, when CSK got suspended for two years, the right hander, played for the Gujrat Lions and played a similar role, scoring plenty of runs and giving his team good stats. 

Brendon McCullum has scored 2,753 runs in 103 IPL matches at a decent strike rate of 131.22, averaging 28.09. He is the fourteenth highest run scorer in the history of the IPL and is remembered for his blistering knock in the initial match of the IPL, where he smashed an unbeaten 158 for the Kolkata Knight Riders against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

He is one player who the CSK Management shall definitely retain. 

Cheers,

Sparsh