Chennai Super Kings (CSA) captain MS Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming will miss the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction to be held in Chennai on Thursday (February 18) for the IPL 2021.
The preparations for the forthcoming IPL 2021 will kick start with the auction where a total of 292 players are set to go under the hammer on Thursday in Chennai.
However, Dhoni and Fleming both will be connected with the CSK officials digitally during the IPL 2021 auction. However, the CSK captain has never attended the IPL auction in the past but the former New Zealand captain was always there on the auction table.
CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanath revealed the news of Dhoni and Fleming’s absence from the IPL auction on Wednesday while confirming the two will join the event through the digital medium.
Read Also: IPL 2021: CSK need replacements for Watson and "aging" Bravo, says Gautam Gambhir
Vishwanath told InsideSport, “They (Fleming and Dhoni) are not coming to Chennai for IPL Auctions but in today’s time, there are so many mediums to stay connected. They will be with us digitally.”
The strict rules in place for people coming to India due to the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be the reason behind Fleming’s absence from the IPL auction, as he needs to serve a mandatory quarantine period if he traveled to India.
Meanwhile, CSK had released six players including some big stars like Harbhajan Singh. Well, the three-time IPL champions have Rs 19.90 crores in their purse and the franchise can only sign a maximum of six players including one overseas star for the forthcoming season of the lucrative tournament.
However, the CSK CEO has made it clear that the franchise has already shortlisted their players and are ready for the IPL auctions 2021 on Thursday.
Vishwanathan signed off by saying, “Our preparations are going well. We are all set for the auctions”.
