Former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president and India Cements Ltd (ICL) vice-chairman N Srinivasan has emphatically said that there is no Chennai Super Kings (CSK) without their current skipper MS Dhoni.
Recently under the captaincy of Dhoni, the Yellow Brigade lifted their fourth IPL trophy after the side defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the final of the 2021 season in Dubai.
Showering praise on Dhoni, Srinivasan told reporters: “It was a remarkable win. It puts Chennai on top of the world.”
When asked about Dhoni’s future with CSK, he said: “Dhoni is part and parcel of CSK. There is no CSK without Dhoni and there is no Dhoni without CSK.”
Recently, Dhoni had hinted that he will play the next season of the IPL while his franchise had reportedly said that a decision on whether to retain the talismanic skipper will be taken only after knowing the rules of the system.
The BCCI is yet to lay down the retention rules as two more teams are set to be added in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich league.
Earlier after winning his fourth IPL trophy for the Yellow Brigade, Dhoni had said that he hadn’t decided how he would fit into the retention scheme of things.
“Again I’ve said it before, it depends on the BCCI. With two new teams coming in, we have to decide what is good for CSK,” Dhoni said after CSK defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs in the summit clash of IPL 2021 on Friday.
“It’s not about me being there in the 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 had said.
Earlier, a CSK official had said that although they were not aware of the retention rules however, if it is followed in the next auction, the franchise will use it for Dhoni.
Earlier on october 5, Dhoni had hinted that he will play for the Yellow Brigade for at least one more IPL season by saying that his fans can see him play a ‘farewell game’ in Chennai next year.
Dhoni, 40, in an event celebrating 75 years of India Cements, said that he hopes to play his last match in Chennai.
“When it comes to farewell, you can still come and see me play for CSK and that can be my farewell game. So, you will still get that opportunity to bid me farewell. Hopefully, we will come to Chennai and play my last game over there and we can meet the fans there,” Dhoni said while interacting with fans during the virtual event.
Under Dhoni, CSK has made to nine IPL finals in the 12 seasons they had featured so far in the history of the lucrative league.
The team under Dhoni had first won the coveted trophy in the year 2010 before winning it again in 2011, 2018 and 2021.
CSK also has the highest win percentage of matches among all teams in the IPL which is 59.83 percent. The Yellow Brigade also hold the records of most appearances in the IPL playoffs as they have made it to eleven times from 12.