CSK Owner Shares Future of Dhoni With IPL Franchise; Speaks About Bond Between Thala-Tamil Nadu-Chennai! 

Former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni left the nation heartbroken after his announcement from International cricket on Independence Day (August 15). 

As fans are taking time to cope with the news, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) owner N. Srinivasan made a big statement saying that Mahendra Singh Dhoni can play in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings as long as he wants.

This statement comes at a time when speculation is making headlines where the 39-year-old might quit the sport altogether if CSK manage to win the IPL this year, reports Times of India (ToI).

In a recent interview to Indian Express, CSK owner N. Srinivasan said “He can play for CSK as long as he wants. At present, let CSK win the IPL. One of the reasons for CSK’s success under Dhoni is that he never thinks beyond the match. He never gets digressed. And we will follow the same policy now (with regards to Dhoni’s future at CSK after he hangs up his boots),” Srinivasan said. 

Further giving his opinion on Dhoni's retirement, Srinivasan stated that retirement or no retirement CSK is Dhoni’s own team. Also, the bond that exists between two will last forever. 

“A few months ago, pre-Covid, the (CSK) team assembled here (Chennai) to start practising for the IPL. 15,000 to 20,000 people came to the stadium and chanted, ‘Dhoni, Dhoni, Dhoni’… You don’t see that crowd for a Test match in many places in India. No publicity was given (for practice sessions). People heard he was practising and they came. That is his popularity. He is an icon of India and in Tamil Nadu and Chennai, he is very special. I don’t know how the bond between him and Tamil Nadu and Chennai developed. In the early seasons of the IPL, he would come, he would go (out) on his motorbike. People took to him," he added. 

Dhoni being the reason of public interest in T20 cricket, including the IPL, Srinivasan asserted that “I think Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the reasons for the burst of interest in T20 league cricket, including the IPL. The people of India have embraced T20 cricket and (its) many heroes, but MS Dhoni is special”. 

Dhoni, is currently preparing himself for the upcoming IPL 2020 which is to begin on September 19.