Ponting Reveals the Vital Factor Leading to CSK's Choice to Keep MS Dhoni: 'Top players excel in...'

As anticipated by cricket enthusiasts, Chennai Super Kings have chosen to retain MS Dhoni for the upcoming season despite his absence from international matches for the past five years. In the IPL 2024, CSK did not make it to the playoffs, but they have decided to keep faith in their veteran player. Dhoni will be classified as an uncapped player in the retention list due to his inactivity at the international level.

The India legend has been retained for ₹4 crore. Meanwhile, CSK have also retained captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for ₹18 crore, Matheesha Pathira for ₹13 crore, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja for ₹12 crore, 18 crore respectively.

Speaking to The ICC Review, Ricky Ponting analysed CSK's decision to retain Dhoni. He said, "Two seasons ago he probably had his worst season, but then last year again, he bounced back into really impacting some games like the MS Dhoni of old."

"I think it will be exactly the same now...they might not get him through the whole season. They might think about leaving him out for a game and resting him up here and there to make sure that they’re getting the best out of him."

The Australia legend pointed out Dhoni's leadership skills, which is beneficial to any team, 'whether he's captain or not'.

"Any team that he's in, whether he's captain or not, he's always going to be a mentor and a leader around that group, whether he’s playing, whether he’s sitting on the sidelines, that’s just who he is…he’s crucial to Chennai, for that leadership that he brings on and off the field," he said.

Lauding Dhoni, who is 43-years-old, for his longevity, Ponting said, "The best players are the ones that are able to maintain such a high level for a long time…for 10, 12, 14-year careers."

Dissecting the wicketkeeper-batter's approach, Ponting pointed out his role sees him bat towards the end of an innings. "He’s actually batting the last 20 balls of an innings now but still showing that you can make a big impact on the game by doing that," he said.

The IPL franchises were allowed to retain a total of six players from their existing squad (a maximum of five capped players and a maximum of two uncapped players) either via retention or by the Right to Match (RTM) option during the auction.