In a recent development, Suresh Raina claimed MS Dhoni had little to no role in the retention of players and auctions ahead of the IPL 2025. Raina, a former CSK player, has claimed that despite Dhoni being a major force of the five-time champions, his involvement in the retention of players or buying them in the auctions is nearly negligible, and the talks otherwise are only speculative.
The Southpaw said that the members in the core group of CSK’s management decide for the franchise, not just in 2025, but right from their first season in 2008. The four-time IPL winner felt Dhoni would not select a team like the one CSK currently has, if he had the power of going after the players in the auctions or retaining them.
“They always say MS Dhoni makes the final call. But to be very honest, I never attended any of the auctions. I was never a part of those discussions. I always talked about the players who were retained. MS might get a call about whether to go ahead with a player or not – but he’s not that involved,” Raina said while speaking on Star Sports.
It’s clear there’s going to be a meeting today: Raina
“The core group handles the auction – you can imagine, Dhoni can’t have this type of auction. He would maybe name four or five players he wants, and out of them, a few would be retained. Even if an uncapped player is working hard, look at MS Dhoni—being a 43-year-old captain, still giving everything,” he added.
CSK lost their fourth-consecutive home game of the ongoing season, and their first-ever against SRH in the league’s history. The cricketer-turned-commentator observed something different in the CSK skipper’s gesture after losing the toss to SRH. He felt such a demeanour could mean Dhoni having a meeting with the rest of the squad to address their poor season.
“I think MS Dhoni will now sit down – he won’t want anyone around him. He must have made up his mind. After the toss, when they lost, the way he walked – and both of them were standing there – it’s clear there’s going to be a meeting today,” the former cricketer concluded.
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