MS Dhoni urges Chennai Super Kings not to retain him after IPL 2020

In the latest development, India’s World Cup winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has reportedly asked his Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) not to retain him after the IPL 2020.

MS Dhoni, who led CSK to three IPL championships, will be leading the team in the forthcoming IPL season. MS Dhoni led CSK, which cameback after a two year ban to lift the IPL 2018 title and marked their advent in style.

In the 2019 edition, CSK entered the finals and lost to Rohit Sharma led Mumbai Indians by 1 run. However, CSK is one of the most successful side in the history of the IPL and Dhoni’s existence has been the core reasons for this.

MS Dhoni urged the CSK team management to not retain him for the 2021 edition and let his name go for auction. He also asked his franchise that if they want to retain him they have to use the Right to Match card.

The reasoning behind the move is that MS Dhoni wants the franchise to save a decent amount of money by not retaining him.

According to the Times of India, a CSK source was quoted as stating, "There will be a big auction before the 2021 IPL and Dhoni has already told us that he will play the tournament. So there's no question of his retirement from the T20 version anytime soon. He wants to go back to the auction pool for the big auction that will take place ahead of the 2021 season. That will give CSK the option of using the Right-to-Match card to pick him, maybe for a lower price. Being the captain he is, Dhoni is ready to sacrifice money for the CSK cause We know what Dhoni means to us. We may not let him go back to the auction pool."

Speaking about MS Dhoni's plans of retirement from the IPL and his role after that, the source stated, "It will be after the 2021 IPL that the question of retirement will come, if at all...And even if he retires, Dhoni will always be the mentor of CSK."

Previously, Indian head coach Ravi Shastri stated that the ruling on MS Dhoni’s cricketing career will be considered after IPL 2020, taking his form in the league into consideration.

MS Dhoni distanced himself from international cricket after India’s exit from the ICC World Cup 2019. Ravi Shastri further added that India’s final squad for the ICC T20I World Cup will be decided after the IPL and Dhoni has a chance to make it to the squad.

"It all depends on when he starts playing and how he is playing during the IPL. What are the other people doing with the wicket-keeping gloves or what is the form of those players as opposed to Dhoni's form? The IPL becomes a massive tournament because that could be the last tournament after which more or less your 15 is decided. "There might be one player who might be there and thereabouts in case of an injury or whatever. But your team I would say would be known after the IPL. What I would say is rather than speculating of who is where, wait for the IPL to get over and then you are in a position to take a call on who is the best 17 in the country," Shastri told IANS.

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