- Ashfaq
- BBC Tamil
Image source, BCCI/IPL
M.S. Dhoni
“There is no Chennai Super Kings without MS Dhoni” – these are the words of CSK team owner Srinivasan recently.
MS Dhoni is the unique identity of the Chennai Super Kings team in the history of the IPL. He has won 4 IPL and 2 Champions League T20 trophies so far.
Prior to the IPL mega auction, the team management had already confirmed that Dhoni would definitely be on the player retention list. But CSK has given the big surprise in which place.
Ravindra Jadeja has been retained as the first player to retain Rs 16 crore, overtaking MS Dhoni, the main face of the Chennai Super Kings.
Chennai team retains Dhoni as the 2nd player for Rs 12 crore. Moin Ali is the 3rd player and Rudraj Kejriwal is the 4th player to be retained.
Why did Jadeja stand out more than Dhoni?
Image source, @imjadeja
Ravindra Jadeja
Chennai Super Kings owner Srinivasan had recently said that it was Dhoni’s intention not to pay too much to retain himself.
His age is also a factor in his inability to retain the title of ‘Best Finisher’, despite Dhoni’s good performances in difficult times.
Dhoni scored only 114 runs last season. His average is 16.28. Maximum runs 18.
Dhoni’s total of 200 runs in the 2020 IPL series is a maximum of 47. He has stumbled to this extent in the last 2 years in IPL history.
It was at this point that Jadeja slowly began to share Dhoni’s title of Best Finisher.
Fans’ expectation is that the course of the game will change if Jadeja spins the bat. The Chennai Super Kings consider Jadeja, who has consistently excelled in both batting and bowling, as the face of the team after Dhoni.
The Chennai team may have given the top spot to Jadeja because of Dhoni’s insistence not to retain himself at a high price.
“Tony Captain“
BBC Tamil has contacted Kasi Viswanathan, CEO of the Chennai Super Kings, over Jadeja’s priority.
“For now, the captain of the Chennai team is MS Dhoni,” said Kasi.
“Dhoni did not talk about his retirement. The management’s decision to prioritize Jadeja and not retain Faf du Plessis from South Africa. Nothing can be said about that.”
“Once the auction list is released, a good decision will be made after considering which players will be picked,” said Kasi Viswanathan.
Jadeja captain after Dhoni?
Image source, @imjadeja
Speaking to BBC Tamil about the Chennai Super Kings’ strategy, former cricketer and cricket commentator Kishore Vaithiyanathan said, “Jadeja is the next captain of the Chennai team.”
“Dhoni has a chance to retire with the upcoming IPL series.
The Chennai team did not retain star players like Du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Bravo. Due to old age, other teams are less likely to buy players who played for Chennai in the auction. In that case, the Chennai team will bid for them at a lower price.
At the same time, the Chennai team will definitely bid for bowlers including wicket-taking bowler Deepak Sahar, “said Kishore Vaithiyanathan.
Only 4 players retained by Chennai team can play in the first 6 places. So the bowlers in the auction may be the target of the Chennai team.
Dhoni had announced that my last match would be in Chennai. Cricket critics predict that Dhoni may announce his retirement with the upcoming series of his choice.
In any case, it is the opinion of the fans that no matter how many Jadejas come up to replace MS Dhoni’s unique personality, he will not be able to take his place.
Other News:
BBC Tamil on social media: