If players can be retained, MSD will be the first one, says CSK

After Chennai Super Kings’ stellar win in the Indian Premier League 2021, the team’s management has said that the retention card at the auction for the next game in 2022 will be used to get the ‘captain of the ship’ MS Dhoni on board.

“MS will be the first man to be retained, there is no doubt about it. But first of all we need to know the retention rules, which were are not aware of as of now. If we can retain (players), Dhoni will be the first to save,” Sports Tak quoted a CSK official as saying.

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“There will be retention and that is a fact. The number of retentions isn’t something we are aware of yet. But honestly, that is secondary in MS’ case because the first card will be used for him. The ship needs its captain and rest assured he will be back next year,” another official told Times of India.

After the CSK’s win on Friday, Dhoni had left it to the BCCI to determine his fate for the next season.

“With two new teams coming in, we have to decide what is good for CSK. It’s not about me being there in top three or four. It’s about making a strong core to ensure the franchise doesn’t suffer. The core group. We have to have a hard look to see who can contribute for the next 10 years,” he said.

The official who spoke to Sports Tak said the team wouldn’t want to do anything without Dhoni given his performance and ability to lead the team towards victory.

“Which team or franchise would not want to retain a man like Dhoni. Two new teams will be added, so it would be great to see the competition. There are many things which we will have to see, but as of now I can only say that we will go for Dhoni. The rest we will see and go by rules set by the BCCI,” he said.

The auction for the next season of IPL in 2020 is likely to see the omission of many key players from teams and the addition of two new teams. It is being said that the new teams will be allowed ‘special picks’ to select two to three top players outside of the auction to build a strong team. The selection, however, will depend on the retentions by the eight existing franchises.

Nothing, however, has been finalised on the number of retention yet.

Dhoni will next seen as the Team India’s mentor during the T20 World Cup scheduled to be held in the UAE.