Mumbai: Former Indian batsman and current commentator of the Indian cricket team, Aakash Chopra has given a big statement about former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (MS Dhoni). He said Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should not retain MS Dhoni if there is indeed a mega auction ahead of the next year’s edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chopra has given the reason that if CSK retains Dhoni, then the side will lose out on a lot of money.
“I think CSK should release MS Dhoni going into the mega auction, if there is a mega auction then you will be with that player for three years. But will Dhoni stay with you for three years? I am not saying don’t keep Dhoni, he will play the next IPL, but if you keep him as a retained player but you will have to pay Rs. 15 crore,” said Chopra in a video posted on his Facebook account.
“If Dhoni does not stay with you for three years and he plays just the 2021 season, you will get the Rs. 15 crore back for the 2022 edition, but how will you find a player worth that Rs. 15 crore? That’s the advantage of a mega auction, you can create a big team if you have the money. If you release Dhoni for the mega auction, you can pick him with the Right To Match card and you can pick the right players by having the desired money in your kitty. You can pick Dhoni in the auction, from CSK point of view, if they release Dhoni and then pick him up in auction, it would be beneficial for them.” he added.
Needless to say CSK struggled a lot in IPL 2020, finishing seventh with only 12 points from 14 matches. But Dhoni confirmed that he will turn out for yellow army in the next season as well.
Chopra also said that out of all the eight franchises currently in the IPL, CSK is the one that needs a mega auction to happen ahead of the next year’s IPL. Currently, it is not known whether CSK will stick to the players which played this year. On that note, Shane Watson has already announced his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier this month.
“CSK needs a mega auction, the side does not have many players that can be retained. If you want to make a team from the scratch, then are you willing to spend big bucks on the likes of Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu? I don’t think that CSK will look at the likes of Raina and Harbhajan if they are making a team from the scratch,” said Chopra.
