MS Dhoni may have bid farewell to international cricket, but his fan-following and significance in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp haven't diminished one bit. The ex-India skipper, soon to turn 40, led the three-time champions to a decent start in the recently-suspended Indian Premier League (IPL), given the fact that CSK were in the doldrums last year in the UAE.
The Super Kings did not fare well in the last IPL, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time ever. Dhoni himself had a below-par season with the bat, managing to score just 200 runs in 14 games at an average of 25. Dhoni, however, had made it clear in CSK's last IPL 2020 fixture that it was 'definitely not' his last appearance in the yellow jersey.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has said that Dhoni will be the first one to be retained by the Chennai outfit in the mega-auction next year. However, Chopra feels the CSK skipper himself might question the franchise's decision due to his age.
"If there is a new rule that there are no retentions, CSK will say they are absolutely fine, and that they will start from scratch because they don't have players to block 15-17 crores," said Chopra on his YouTube channel.
"Chennai Super Kings will have MS Dhoni at the first number of course and they will do that as well. But if you ask Dhoni, he might himself say why they are retaining him because he may not be there for three years and why they want to block so much money on him. But then, that's how it is going to be. CSK and MS Dhoni are pretty much one and the same thing,"
Though Dhoni managed to score just 37 runs in seven matches of IPL 2021, CSK were poised second in the league standings when the tournament was shelved indefinitely earlier this month.
Chopra further said CSK might get hold of Ravindra Jadeja if the talismanic all-rounder 'wants to be retained'. He also picked Deepak Chahar as an option for retention if Jadeja decides to part ways with the three-time champions.
"The second will be Ravindra Jadeja if he wants to be retained. If he doesn't want to be retained and wants to become Ahmedabad's captain, then it's a different thing. But if you ask CSK whom they want to retain or will retain, the second one can be Ravindra Jadeja.
"You will use the RTM card for Deepak Chahar, that's what I feel. If Jaddu is not there, you might even think about Deepak Chahar as the second retention," concluded Chopra.
