Dhoni will be our first retention for sure: CSK official

MS Dhoni was nowhere close to his best as a batter in the recently-concluded IPL but his leadership was impeccable with him leading his side to their fourth IPL title. While his future at CSK as a player is uncertain, with MS Dhoni hinting that BCCI's decision in the retention front will be crucial, a CSK official stated that MS Dhoni, however, will be the first retention for the Chennai-based side.

"There will be retention and that is a fact. The number of retentions isn't something we are aware of yet. But honestly, that is secondary in MS' case because the first card will be used for him. The ship needs its captain and rest assured he will be back next year," the official told ANI.

Dhoni has led Chennai Super Kings in 12 seasons of their participation and in which CSK have progressed to the finals nine times. Four titles are a testament to their success and Dhoni has been credited for the epic consistency.

However, on Friday, when Dhoni was asked about his future as a player at CSK, he played it safe and stated that they would decide what would be good for CSK. "Again I've said it before, it depends on BCCI. With two new teams coming in, we have to decide what is good for CSK. It's not about me being there in top-three or four. It's about making a strong core to ensure the franchise doesn't suffer. The core group, we have to have a hard look to see who can contribute for the next 10 years."