IPL 2025: MS Dhoni Among Chennai Super Kings’ Retentions
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have retained their former Captain and of course the face of their franchise, MS Dhoni among five of its players. Among others, the retained list included players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana. Their decision reflects a mix of veteran talent and emerging talent within CSK. Chennai Super Kings’ Landscape Of Bidding Although it is not known how much CSK will pay for each retained player, this set of retentions would strip the franchise of at least INR 65 crore from its overall purse of INR 120 crore. The five players picked here leave CSK with just one RTM option during the auction, which puts it well in the overall landscape of bidding. Dhoni’s Uncapped Status Now 43 years old, Dhoni is likely to be retained in the uncapped category. This status is special because the IPL recently announced a rule wherein players who have not played international cricket for five years can be considered “uncapped.” Dhoni last represented India during the 2019 ODI World Cup. Thus, he is eligible for this category and will allow CSK to play flexibility with their auction purse. Dhoni’s New Role in CSK and His Future Plans After having invested the CSK captaincy in Gaikwad before the season of the IPL 2024, Dhoni turned more on the fringes as a player and batted just marginally and played little cricket with very less role for him in batting. Although he retained his place as a primary wicket-keeper for the side, he got to face just 73 balls in the last 11 innings played by CSK. Moreover, those were mainly the overs where he was brought down in the latter end, No. 8 or No. 9 in most cases so as not to exert his muscles after a knee surgery early in the year 2023. Dhoni has recently said that he would like to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket he is able to play and his scarce batting appearances in IPL 2024 were an opportunity for players like Dube and Jadeja to show their skills and make their case for selection into the Indian Cricket Team before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye
Not Hardik, Suryakumar Yadav To Be Named Indian Cricket Team’s T20I Captain
Suryakumar Yadav is set to be appointed as Indian Cricket Team’s new T20I captain, succeeding Hardik Pandya, the current vice-captain for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. Suryakumar will take over from Rohit Sharma, who recently retired from T20Is, along with Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, after leading India to a triumphant victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean last month. HARDIK ON THE HELM Despite Hardik’s experience as a captain—having led India in three ODIs and 16 T20Is, and also captaining Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the IPL—fitness issues and workload management have been factors against him. Since the beginning of 2022, Hardik has played in only 46 of India’s 79 T20Is. SURYA’S SUCCESSFUL CAPTAINCY RECORD On the other hand, Suryakumar has a solid track record in leadership. He has captained Mumbai in domestic cricket and recently led India to a 4-1 series win against Australia in the T20I series last November, followed by a 1-1 draw in South Africa. His consistent performances have made him a key player in India’s T20I squad. WHO IS A BETTER CAPTAIN? A LEADERSHIP COMPARISON NAME GAMES WINS LOSSES TIED / NR WIN PERCENTAGE Hardik Pandya 16 10 5 1 62.50% Suryakumar Yadav 7 5 2 0 71.43% INDIA’S 1 CAPTAIN IDEOLOGY As per a BCCI source, “Hardik Pandya was India’s T20 vice-captain under Rohit Sharma. He is completely fit and available for the three-match T20I series and was supposed to lead the side but there is a very strong feeling that SKY would be the potential leader not only for the Sri Lanka series but till the 2026 World Cup,” The T20Is in Sri Lanka will also mark the beginning of Gautam Gambhir’s tenure as India’s new coach, taking over from Rahul Dravid after the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This series is seen as a crucial step towards preparing for the next ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which India will co-host in 2026. The Sportz Planet Desk,Atharva Shetye