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Suresh Raina, a long-time teammate of Ravindra Jadeja at CSK, has cautioned the franchise amid trade talks involving Rajasthan Royals star Sanju Samson before the IPL 2026 Retention Deadline

Chennai Super Kings legend Suresh Raina has cautioned the franchise as trade talks continue for Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder is subject to a move to former side Rajasthan Royals with CSK keen on adding Sanju Samson to the talks. Jadeja has spent 11 seasons with CSK, several of them with Suresh Raina, who believes the 37-year-old is an asset for the franchise.

"Ravindra Jadeja should be retained again. He is a gun player for CSK. He has done really, really well for the team over the years, so ‘Sir Ravindra Jadeja’ has to be there,” Raina said in an interaction with JioStar.

CSK have maintained keen interest in Sanju Samson, with Ravindra Jadeja set to head the other way alongside either Sam Curran or Matheesha Pathirana. Jadeja played for Rajasthan in 2008 and 2009, winning the title in IPL's inaugral season.

Ravindra Jadeja is CSK's highest wicket taker, going past former teammate Dwayne Bravo. The left-arm spinner also the fifth highest run-getter for the franchise, a list lead by Suresh Raina.

While Raina wants Chennai to retain Jadeja, he does want the franchise to cash on their under-performing players. Fondly known as 'Chinna Thala', the former India star believes the franchise needs a 'local opener' heading into IPL 2026.

“Devon Conway should be released. CSK need a local opener, which they will look for in the mini-auction. Vijay Shankar has already received plenty of chances. So I think CSK should release him as well. Deepak Hooda should be released too. There are a lot of players available in the mini-auction who can provide the same combination for the team. These players got their chances last year, and we saw how they played. So, probably CSK will have to look for someone new,” Raina added.