Raina will be first guy CSK would go after in auction, says Uthappa

Former Indian batter Robin Uthappa feels Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will certainly go after Suresh Raina in the mega auction ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.

All the existing IPL franchises on Tuesday revealed the list of their retained players ahead of the mega auction of the upcoming season.

CSK retained Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad during the event.

"He's (Raina) I think the biggest stalwart of CSK that we've had. He's been such an instrumental figure in helping CSK qualify to so many of the knockout stages in the last 10-12 years," said Uthappa on Star Sports show 'IPL Retention'.

"So, Sureshi (Suresh Raina) has been a vital cog in the wheel, so I think he will be the first guy they will go after. Having said that, it must have been really difficult to let go of Faf but, I think the only thing that pegged it towards Mo (Moeen Ali) was the fact that he is a two-dimensional player, with both the skills, and unfortunately, they had to make that choice.

"And they would definitely want to retain a player with two skills. But I am certain that they will go after Faf because he has been incredible for CSK over the past 5 or 6 years," he added.

Meanwhile, the two new Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises -- Lucknow and Ahmedabad have a budget of Rs 33 crore to pick three players who go back into the pool before the mega auction begins.