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'Dhoni will be released in auction pool in IPL 2021'
"People keep saying when will he... how long will he play, etc. He will play. I can assure you. He will play this year. Next year he will go (to) the auction; he will be retained. So there is no doubt in anybody's mind," Srinivasan said at an entrepreneurship event on Saturday (January 18).
CSK Fans Association is happy with the news
The vice-president of the CSK Fans Association ARR Sriram was happy about Srinivasan's statement.
"We are pretty sure that MS will be retained. There is no CSK without Dhoni. We won't let him go into the auction pool," Sriram said.
J Sivakumar, an admirer of Dhoni and member of the fans club, echoed similar views and said the India Cements boss' words were music to his ears. Dhoni's contract not being renewed was not exactly a surprise as he has not played a competitive game since that World Cup semifinal on July 9. He has been on a sabbatical and has refused to divulge his future plans.
Dhoni has been part of CSK since inception of the IPL
Dhoni has been a part of CSK since the IPL's inaugural edition in 2008 and apart from the two seasons when the franchise was suspended, the wicket-keeper batsman has led the team admirably, guiding it to three title triumphs.
MS Dhoni loses BCCI central contract: Sources reveal why MSD was removed from the annual contract
The 38-year-old was last week dropped from the BCCI's list of centrally contracted players, raising fresh doubts on the future of the former India captain who has not played since the World Cup semifinal loss to New Zealand in July last year. Dhoni also recently returned to training, batting fluently in the Jharkhand team nets. He was in the A category, which fetches a player Rs 5 crore as annual retainership, until last year.
Dhoni - Most successful India captain
One of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Dhoni led India to two world titles - the 2007 World T20 in South Africa and the 2011 ODI World Cup at home. He also led Team India to Champions Trophy win in 2013 and is the only captain in the history of the game to have all three ICC trophies in his cabinet.
The veteran has played 90 Tests, 350 ODIs and 98 T20 Internationals for India, accumulating over 17,000 runs and effecting a staggering 829 dismissals behind the stumps.