Just two days ahead of the start of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as Dhoni relinquished the captaincy of the franchise after leading them in 12 seasons.
Dhoni passed on the baton to CSK’s top-bracket retention, Ravindra Jadeja who was retained by the franchise for INR 16 crore before the mega auction. While Jadeja, will be making his captaincy debut, he will have Dhoni to bounce off ideas with, in need as this could be possibly the 40-year old’s last hurrah in the cash-rich league.
Former India opener and now a cricket pundit, Aakash Chopra suggested that stepping down as captain almost confirmed that Dhoni could be playing his last in the IPL.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, “MS Dhoni has declared that he is no longer the king and he will now only be a person in the kingdom who’ll serve the king. But the reality is that he is the king and the captain. He is the king of CSK. It is almost confirmed now that he won’t play next year.
“Earlier this year too, I’m sure he did not want the franchise to retain him as spending money on retaining him would not have made the team stronger, as he may not be there for next season. This is why he asked Jadeja to be the first retainee, as he might not stay if he is not given INR 16 crore,” Chopra further said.
