The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction dynamics make it difficult for anyone to predict a player’s destination. Deepak Chahar, a key player for Chennai Super Kings over the years, was at the center of an intense bidding war between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians before eventually being signed by the Hardik Pandya-led franchise. Chahar was with CSK from 2018 and wanted to continue his journey with the franchise, but the auction brought a twist to the tale. Despite CSK’s failure to bring him back, Chahar had no complaints from the franchise.

Chahar, during a chat with Sports Tak, said MS Dhoni is the reason behind his special connection with the CSK. Because of him, he wanted to continue his IPL journey in the yellow shirt. But, the auction dynamics didn’t allow that to happen.

“Mahi bhai has supported me from the start, that’s why I wanted to go to CSK. But my name came on the second day at the auction, so I had a fair idea that it would be difficult for me to get back to CSK. They had a low purse, but still bid till INR 9 crore despite a purse of INR 13 crore,” Chahar said.

Chahar’s name came up in the auction on Day 2. By then, CSK had spent most of their purse, with only Rs. 13 crore left. The pacer admitted that he knew it would be difficult for the Yellow Army to re-sign him from the position.

“I had made up my mind that it would be difficult. Last year, my name came first, that’s why it was easier to get back to CSK,” he said.

Chahar has revelled at CSK over the years, especially under the guidance of MS Dhoni but the IPL 2025 season gives him a fresh opportunity to rediscover himself. Chahar has also been out of Team India’s plans for a while. 

Playing with Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav, however, is expected to give his international career a big boost too.