NEWS
Follow UsChennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni said that he will remain with the franchise for many more years to come and reiterated that the decision of him playing next season depends on the BCCI's player-retention policy. MS Dhoni led CSK to their fourth title on Friday as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in the final in Dubai as he stressed that the franchise is focused on building a team for the next ten years.
"I've said it before, it depends on BCCI. With two new teams coming in......we have to decide what is good for CSK," Dhoni said in the post-match presentation. "I haven't left anything behind yet," he joked before he went to pick up the trophy from BCCI secretary Jay Shah and president Sourav Ganguly.
"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," he added.
Dhoni lauded KKR's revival in the second leg of the season as they climbed from sixth in the table to reach the final.
"(It's always) Difficult to come back and to do what they have, if any team deserved to win the IPL, it's KKR. Huge credit to the coaches, team and support staff. The break really helped them," he said.
CSK reached ten of the fourteen IPL finals and missed out on the playoffs only once last year. Dhoni hailed his team's resilience after recovering from their final three group stage losses to do well in the playoffs.
"If you look at stats, you may say we're the most consistent team to lose the final too. I feel it's important to come back strong, especially in the knockouts," the 40-year old said.
The CSK skipper revealed that he didn't say anything special to his teammates ahead of the title clash and only spoke to them during the practice sessions.
"Frankly no chats, we don't talk a lot [meetings]. It's more one-on-one, our practice sessions are meeting sessions. The moment you get into a team room, it brings about different pressure," Dhoni said.
