The vice-chairman and managing director of India Cements Ltd – owner of the CSK franchise – was asked about Dhoni and CSK’s future, where he asserted that there is no Super Kings without Dhoni.
When asked about the possible retentions from the franchise, Srinivasan added that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has not made the rules clear yet.
Despite not being in form with the bat, MS Dhoni led the Super Kings to their fourth IPL title last Friday, defeating Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai.
This season, CSK were coming off their worst season performance finishing seventh in 2020. With a lot of question marks over the squad, Chennai won nine out of 14 matches to finish second on the table. Dhoni was outstanding on the field as a tactician, as he has been throughout his limited overs career.
The players has been confronted with questions about his future on several occasions, and he once confirmed that he will indeed be with CSK next season too. However, in which capacity he couldn’t clarify.
Dhoni’s lack of clarity comes from the fact that the board is yet to announce the retention policy ahead of the mega auction. With the tournament expanding to 10 teams, retention rules could see some changes in order to provide a level playing field to the new teams.
“We have to decide what is good for CSK, you know. It’s not really about me being there in the top three or four, whatever the retained number of players is.”
Dhoni said during the presentation after winning IPL 2021.
Chennai Super Kings are the franchise with the least number of unique players used in the last decade. Their tendency to stick with the familiar faces and core has served them well over the years, winning four IPL trophies and two Champions League T20 titles. Dhoni mentioned the same and reiterated the importance of having a strong core.
“It’s about making a strong core and making sure the franchise doesn’t really suffer, because it will be an auction where you have to make a team for the next ten years. Definitely in 2008, the core group carried on for more than ten years.
We’ll have to have a hard look as to… in the next ten years, who are the people who will contribute in a similar manner.”
The legendary former Indian captain, when asked about the legacy he’d be leaving behind at CSK, ended the interview with one of his trademark cheeky responses saying he haven’t left behind.
Learn more 👉 Dhoni leaves retirement question open-ended after IPL win
Meanwhile, Dhoni has joined the Indian team in the UAE as the mentor for the T20 World Cup campaign. India put on a batting spectacle in their first warm-up game against England, where they chased 189 with seven wickets and an over to spare. India will face Australia in the second warm-up game on Wednesday before beginning their campaign against Pakistan on October 24.
