Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made a surprising announcement ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, confirming MS Dhoni as their No. 1 retention choice. The decision comes as a relief to fans and the CSK management alike, with Dhoni officially confirming his availability for the upcoming season.

Dhoni, who handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad last season, had been batting lower in the order. However, with the revised rule allowing players who retired from international cricket for five years to be classified as uncapped, CSK has opted to retain Dhoni in this category. This move will cost the franchise just INR 4 crore, allowing them to retain an additional capped player.

Expressing his excitement over Dhoni’s decision, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said, “When he is ready, what else do we want? We are happy.”

MS Dhoni: “I just want to enjoy last few years of cricket”

Speaking at an event, Dhoni himself has stated that he wants to enjoy the last few years of his cricketing career, balancing emotions and commitments to play the game he loves.

Dhoni also explained the reason for him coming out to bat late despite fans wanting to see him more.

“My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order,” Dhoni said. “If you’re talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance.

In our team (CSK) we had a few, [Ravindra] Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I’m good behind [playing down the order] and my team was happy with what I was doing.”

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