Having retained five players for Rs 55 crore, CSK entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with Rs 65 crore and made several impactful signings. Notably, they brought back key players like Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, and also secured the services of R. Ashwin, the legendary Indian spinner who previously played for CSK and won two titles with the team in 2010 and 2011.   Here’s a look at CSK's strongest playing XI for IPL 2025:

1. Devon Conway: CSK signed the New Zealand opener for Rs 6.25 crore. Conway, who debuted in 2022, has accumulated 924 runs in 23 IPL matches.
2. Ruturaj Gaikwad (C): The 27-year-old, who has led CSK since 2024, has scored 2380 runs in 66 IPL matches.
3. Rachin Ravindra: CSK brought Ravindra back with the RTM card for Rs 4 crore. The left-handed batter and occasional spinner has scored 222 runs in 10 IPL matches.
4. Rahul Tripathi: Bought for Rs 3.40 crore, the Maharashtra batter replaces Ajinkya Rahane in CSK’s playing XI. Tripathi has 2236 runs in 95 IPL matches.
5. Shivam Dube: Retained for Rs 12 crore, Dube has impressed with his batting in recent IPL seasons. He has 1502 runs and five wickets in 65 IPL matches.
6. Ravindra Jadeja: A key all-rounder for CSK, Jadeja has 2959 runs and 160 wickets in 240 IPL matches. He was retained for Rs 18 crore.
7. MS Dhoni (WK): The IPL's most capped player, MS Dhoni will play his final seasons with CSK. He was retained for Rs 4 crore.
8. Ravichandran Ashwin: CSK secured Ashwin for Rs 9.75 crore. The 38-year-old has 180 wickets in 212 IPL matches and is a two-time IPL winner with CSK.
9. Sam Curran: The English all-rounder returns to CSK for Rs 2.40 crore. Curran has 883 runs and 58 wickets in 59 IPL matches.
10. Khaleel Ahmed: The left-arm pacer, signed for Rs 4.80 crore, has 74 wickets in 57 IPL matches.
11. Matheesha Pathirana: The Sri Lankan pacer, retained for Rs 13 crore, has 34 wickets in 20 IPL matches with CSK since his debut in 2022.

Other Players: CSK also signed Noor Ahmed (Rs 10 crore), Vijay Shankar (Rs 1.20 crore), Shaik Rasheed (Rs 30 lakh), Anshul Kamboj (Rs 3.40 crore), Mukesh Choudhary (Rs 30 lakh), Deepak Hooda (Rs 1.70 crore), Gurjapneet Singh (Rs 2.20 crore), Nathan Ellis (Rs 2 crore), Jamie Overton (Rs 1.50 crore), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 30 lakh), Ramakrishna Ghosh (Rs 30 lakh), Shreyas Gopal (Rs 30 lakh), Vansh Bedi (Rs 55 lakh), and Andre Siddarth (Rs 30 lakh).