NEWS
Follow UsChennai Super Kings had a tricky decision to make in the retention, with their foreign choice of player. Sam Curran, who was picked by the franchise ahead of the 2020 season was the lone shining light from that season and Dwayne Bravo’s incredible return to form in 2021, made it a bigger headache. Combine that with Faf du Plessis’ incredible run with the bat, it tied CSK’s hands.
Ultimately, the franchise picked Moeen Ali as the fourth-choice player, owing to his ability to bat anywhere in the top-order with the ability to bowl off-spin, something that they missed in 2020 season. However, ahead of the Auction, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed that the franchise would be looking to buy back former players, including du Plessis.
"We look forward to getting them back. For example, Faf has been a team man who has taken us to the finals of two important seasons. It will be our endeavor to go and try for him. But it's not in our hands," Viswanathan said in a video posted by the Chennai Super Kings.
With reports earlier suggesting that the IPL opener would be in Chennai, Viswanathan licked his lips on the prospect of the franchise playing in full-capacity at Chepauk.
"Chennai has been a very lucky ground for us, we had a good home advantage. That is because of the support we get from the CSK fans who throng to the stadium. I hope that this year, we get the entire MA Chidambaram Stadium for our use," said the CSK CEO.
CSK's CEO also opened up on the retentions of Moeen Ali and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who he said were open to being any choice of retention for the franchise. Moeen, in particular, according to Kasi Viswanathan, was okay with being retained as No.1 or No.4.
"When we spoke to Moeen first, he said he has been overwhelmed with the offer which was made and he said he has not thought of any other franchise at all. That was his reaction immediately and he said 'whether I am one, two, three or four (retention number), I don't mind, I will be there'. So was the case with Rutu (Ruturaj)," Kasi Viswanathan added.
"We always had a feeling that he will be a very useful all-rounder for us especially when we play in India. We were able to get him only last year. So it is good that he came in and was able to perform under the captaincy of MS (Dhoni)," he added.
It was a surprise when MS Dhoni was retained as the second-choice pick by the franchise. However, CSK’s CEO admitted that it was Dhoni’s decision and he still controls the team. Alongside that, he also stated that no one can doubt the former Indian skipper’s ability as a leader in this unit.
"Thala has been the mainstay of CSK. He has been a captain who has delivered for us. He gets the best out of the team every time he plays. As far as we are concerned, Thala plays a major role because he controls the team, and the team is benefitted by his experience. Nobody can doubt his skills as a captain," said Viswanathan.