There will be a mega auction ahead of the 2022 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Board of Cricket Control of India ( BCCI) is yet to announce how many players (Indians and foreigners) a franchise can retain from their current squad.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinched the IPL title fourth time by beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 27 runs on Friday. MS Dhoni has led CSK to nine IPL finals in which they have won four times which is just one less than Mumbai Indians (MI).
The numbers speak for themselves, and CSK have clearly been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL under Dhoni's leadership. However, IPL's blockbuster auction will take place next year, and the franchises are still unclear about the retention process.
A close insider from CSK told Sports Tak that CSK will keep Dhoni by all means necessary if the retention policy and BCCI guidelines allow it.
“There is no question that MS Dhoni will be the first man to be retained in the team, but we must first learn the retention rule, which we do not know about at the moment. However, if we are able to keep Dhoni, he will be the first to save," a source told Sports Tak.
"Of course, if the rules are in place and we are permitted, we will undoubtedly go with MS. CSK will not do anything without him(Dhoni). Take a look at the team's success and his leadership, and tell me which team or franchise wouldn't want to save a man like Dhoni," the insider continued.
In the post-match presentation of the final, Dhoni dismissed the retirement rumors and said that he will play for CSK next year which is subjected to BCCI rules and what is good for CSK.
"Two additional teams will be introduced to the IPL in the next years; it will be exciting to watch the competition." There are a lot of things we'll have to see, but for now, I can only say that we'll go with Dhoni if the BCCI rules allow it," he concluded.