IPL Auction 2021: CSK CEO gives huge update on MS Dhoni's presence in Chennai

There has been a lot of buzz about the IPL auction 2021 in the last few days. On Thursday, February 11, the BCCI released the IPL auction 2021 final player list for the 14th edition of the cricketing extravaganza. As many as 292 cricketers are set to go under the hammer at the IPL auction. There have also been a lot of doubts over MS Dhoni's presence at the IPL auction.

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MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming will be connected digitally with us during IPL auction: CSK CEO

As the veteran stumper has hung his boots from international cricket, fans are expecting him to be at Chennai Super Kings' table during IPL 2021 auction. However, according to a recent report by InsideSport, the CSK captain and head coach Stephen Fleming won't be attending the IPL auction in Chennai. The same was confirmed by CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanath. He further said that in today’s time, there are so many mediums to stay connected and as a result, both of them will be in touch with franchise officials digitally to plan and be part of the auction.

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Meanwhile, CSK released six players ahead of IPL auction which includes the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson and Mony Singh. They also traded Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals and the right-hander will now don the yellow jersey in IPL 2021. The three-time IPL champion have ₹19.9 crore in their purse and at the IPL auction, the Yellow Army can only sign a maximum of six players, including one overseas. Speaking about their IPL auction strategy, the CSK CEO stated that their preparations are going well and they are all set for the auction.

Despite having a dismal IPL 2020, the MS Dhoni-led Chennai defied expectations and has retained most of its squad. After a poor show by the three-time champions in 2020, the squad was expected to head for a complete revamp this year. The franchise has retained most of its players including Ambati Rayadu, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Dwayne Bravo and Deepak Chahar.

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The squad will be led by MS Dhoni as in the previous editions of the IPL so far. Chennai has also retained young Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made an impact in the last leg of the tournament in 2020, with some brilliant innings as he opened the batting for the team. Ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran along with Mitchel Santner have also been retained by the franchise. 

CSK list of retained players 2021

N Jagadeesan, R Gaikwad, KM Asif, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, J Hazlewood, K Sharma, A Rayudu, S Raina, I Tahir, D Chahar, Faf du Plessis, S Thakur, M Santner, D Bravo, L Ngidi, S Curran, S Kishore.

IPL auction date and time

After a lot of curiosity around the IPL auction date and time, the BCCI on January 27 revealed that the IPL 2021 auction will take place on February 18 in Chennai. The IPL auction live streaming will begin at 3:00 PM (IST).  Fans in Indian can tune in to the Star Sports Network to catch the live telecast of the program. The IPL auction live streaming will also be made available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website as well as on JioTV.

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SOURCE: IPLT20.COM