Should CSK retain Dhoni for next IPL?

Former India batsman Aakash Chopra on Tuesday said that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should not retain Mahendra Singh Dhoni if there is a mega auction ahead of the next year's Indian Premier League (IPL).

In a Facebook post, cricket analyst and commentator Chopra also spoke of the many problems that CSK face in terms of team composition.

He also reasoned that if CSK retains Dhoni, then the side will lose out on INR 15 crore. The former India batsman has suggested that CSK should send Dhoni back into the pool, and then the side can buy Dhoni through the right-to-match card.

CSK had finished at the seventh spot in this year's IPL with 12 points from 14 matches. This was the first time that the Dhoni-led side failed to qualify for the playoffs.

"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 you will have to pay Rs 15 crore," said Chopra 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," he added.

Chopra also said that of all the eight franchises currently in the IPL, CSK is the one that needs a mega auction to happen ahead of the next year's IPL. Currently, it is not known whether CSK will stick to the players which played this year.

Shane Watson has already announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, and as a result, he will not be seen in action for the next year's tournament.

"CSK needs a mega auction, the side does not have many players that can be retained. If you want to make a team from 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," said Chopra.

The Dhoni-led side was without the services of Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh this season as both opted out of the tournament. 

He also had words of praise for CSK seamer Deepak Chahar.  

SEE: Should CSK release Dhoni, Chopra asks. Video: Kind courtesy Aakash Chopra/Facebook