Former India opener Aakash Chopra has said that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should release Mahendra Singh Dhoni if there is a mega auction before the start of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Chopra said that CSK will get a purse of Rs 15 crore if they decide to release Dhoni and they can use this money to buy other players. Chopra said that CSK should release Dhoni back into the auction pool and they can always get him back in the squad using the Right To Match (RTM) card.
"I think CSK should release MS Dhoni going into the mega auction, if there is a mega auction then you will be with that player for three years. But will Dhoni stay with you for three years? I am not saying don't keep Dhoni, he will play the next IPL, but if you keep him as a retained player but you will have to pay Rs 15 crore," Aakash Chopra said in a video posted on his Facebook account.
"If Dhoni does not stay with you for three years and he plays just the 2021 season, you will get the Rs 15 crore back for the 2022 edition, but how will you find a player worth that Rs 15 crore? That's the advantage of a mega auction, you can create a big team if you have the money. If you release Dhoni for the mega auction, you can pick him with the Right To Match card and you can pick the right players by having the desired money in your kitty. You can pick Dhoni in the auction, from CSK point of view, if they release Dhoni and then pick him up in auction, it would be beneficial for them," Chopra added.
"CSK needs a mega auction, the side does not have many players that can be retained. If you want to make a team from the scratch, then are you willing to spend big bucks on the likes of Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu? I don't think that CSK will look at the likes of Raina and Harbhajan if they are making a team from scratch," Chopra said.
It is to be noted that CSK performed badly in recently concluded IPL 2020 as they managed to win only 6 matches out of 14. This was the first time in the history of IPL that the Dhoni-led side failed to reach the IPL playoffs.
