Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling coach L Balaji, was the one to announce the franchise’s retentions on November 30 evening. All of the eight original franchises declared the list of the players they had retained ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
Defending and four-time champions CSK decided to retain Ravindra Jadeja first for INR 16 crores, then MS Dhoni for INR 12 crores, Moeen Ali for INR 8 crores, and finally Ruturaj Gaikwad for INR 6 crores.
There were speculations that Dhoni didn’t want CSK to retain him, instead buy him in the auction, but the CSK management confirmed that their mercurial captain will be retained ahead of the mega auction. Dhoni recently revealed that he wanted to play his final IPL match in Chepauk.
Balaji reiterated the same thing, stressing that MS Dhoni will remain the heart and soul of the franchise and that the World Cup-winning former India captain will forever be his skipper.
"Jadeja is a proven CSK performer. What he has done in the recent past with the bat and the ball has been phenomenal. Moeen actually balances the team with the off-spin part and a left-hander in the top-order. We are very happy to retain Rutu as well. There is no doubt about his ability.
Nobody else can replace MS Dhoni. For me, he is my captain always. He is the heart and soul of the franchise. Fans as well expect to see him. There is a long way to go as well but of course, MS is my captain,” Balaji said on Star Sports' IPL 2022 Retention Special show.
In addition to that Balaji talked about how difficult it was for the franchise to let go of the likes of Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, and Dwayne Bravo who have been integral to the team’s success over the years.
"We always believe that the family environment extends to on-field performances. So it’s very hard to leave out established players like Faf du Plessis. He has been brilliant. It’s an emotional as well as a hard decision. The likes of Rayudu -- he has been phenomenal. Dwayne Bravo has been a brand, one of the major entertainers. It’s tough to leave these guys out but we had to do it,” he added.
