MS Dhoni places team above personal rankings in CSK's idol retention list chosen by former Indian star

Chennai Super Kings, the five-time IPL champions, can breathe a sigh of relief with the recent announcement by the IPL governing council regarding the player retention policy for the upcoming season. The new rule introduced allows CSK to retain their beloved former captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, for a reduced amount of INR 4 crore. This comes as a pleasant surprise for fans, as Dhoni was previously retained for a much higher sum of INR 12 crore. The BCCI appears to have taken into consideration players like Dhoni, who have not participated in international cricket for the past five years, by implementing this special rule.

"A capped Indian player will become uncapped, if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI. This will be applicable for Indian Players only," the BCCI stated.

Speculations were rife last season that it would be Dhoni's last season, but the legendary wicketkeeper has not made any announcement yet, and now, with the new IPL rule, he is expected to return to play another season.

Former India cricketer Ajay Jadeja said Dhoni will definitely be one of the players CSK will retain for next season. He asserted that the legendary wicketkeeper has always been selfless and doesn't mind getting picked as an uncapped player.

"One is MS Dhoni for sure. There is no doubt about that because firstly he has become an uncapped player now and he has shown for so many years that he doesn't desire to be No. 1 or No. 2 to make the team. So there is no doubt at that value," Jadeja said on Colors Cineplex.

He also named two more players, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja, who Chennai will surely retain ahead of next year's auction. Gaikwad and Jadeja have been strong pillars for CSK in the last few years, and the five-time champions would look to build the team for the future around them.

"Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad had a good year, so you will want to keep him as well. You cannot leave Ravindra, I am not talking about Rachin, I am talking about Jadeja. I feel these three are perfect for them," he added.

Meanwhile, Jadeja feels that Matheesha Pathirana would be the overseas pick for Chennai. In 20 matches, the Sri Lankan pacer claimed 34 wickets in the past three seasons.

"You would not want to leave Pathirana. I am seeing him as one among the overseas players. You need to keep players not because of the money, but their style. So I feel these four will be their main players and they will keep two RTMs," Jadeja observed.