I’ll retain Dhoni as a normal capped player, not as an uncapped player: Ravichandran Ashwin

Ever since the BCCI officials confirmed the new retention rules, there has been plenty of talk regarding the future of MS Dhoni in the Indian Premier League. The officials made it easier for Chennai Super Kings to retain their megastar and former captain as an uncapped player and that too for just INR 4 crore. As per the rules, each team is allowed to register Indian players in the uncapped category if he hasn’t played international cricket in the last five years.

It leaves the door open for CSK to register Dhoni in the uncapped category but according to off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, the two-time World Cup-winning captain should be retained as a capped player. He explained that the franchise can look to sign youngster Sameer Rizvi in the uncapped category, who has done tremendously well in the UPT20 League, in which he scored 468 runs in 13 matches and finished as the second-leading run-scorer of the tournament. 

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Ashwin also explained that CSK should retain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana for the next IPL. He stated that Pathirana can be the difference with the ball and Gaikwad and Dube can take care of the batting department. He advised CSK to retain these players and invest heavily in buying three bowlers and a foreign batter in the mega-auction.

“I’ll give a fresh perspective. I will retain Rutu (Ruturaj), Jaddu (Ravindra), Dube, Pathirana and Dhoni. I’ll retain Dhoni as a normal capped player, not as an uncapped player. I’ll retain these five and will get Sameer Rizvi as my sixth retention,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

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“You get Pathirana as a point of difference (with the ball). The batting looks sorted as well. Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top, Dube in the middle order. Jadeja is a left-arm spinner, so your eight overs are already covered. By retaining Sameer Rizvi, your future looks sorted as well. He batted brilliantly in the UP league. He’s very talented, just like Nitish Reddy. So you go to the auction and buy three bowlers and a foreign batter,” he added.