No CSK Without MS Dhoni, No Dhoni Without CSK: N Srinivasan

Former owner of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise and ex-BCCI president N Srinivasan has confirmed that there is no CSK without its captain, legendary MS Dhoni and there is no Dhoni without CSK.

His statement came after MS Dhoni-led the Chennai Super Kings to their fourth Indian Premier League Trophy as they beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final of the IPL 2021 in Dubai on October 15, 2021. Though Dhoni didn’t do much with the bat and even dropped a catch in the final, his captaincy was top-notch.

During the post-IPL 2021 final match presentation, Harsha Bhogle had asked MS Dhoni about his future with the Chennai Super Kings with regard to the IPL 2022 season when two new teams will be added to the mix, making the IPL a ten-team tournament. Dhoni didn’t confirm anything but said that the management will make a decision thinking about building a team for the next decade.

MS Dhoni Is Part And Parcel Of CSK, Chennai And Tamil Nadu: N Srinivasan

N Srinivasan was the BCCI President when his company, India Cements Ltd (ICL), of which he is the vice-chairman and managing director, put a bid of USD 1.5 million for then recent T20 World Cup-winning captain MS Dhoni in the inaugural IPL 2008 auction. ICL owned the CSK franchise from inception in 2008 till 2014 when the ownership was transferred to Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd.

The former BCCI chief added that there is no Dhoni without Chennai Super Kings, his emphatic statement telling a lot about the relation between the franchise and the iconic cricketer.

“Dhoni is part and parcel of CSK, Chennai and Tamil Nadu. There is no CSK without Dhoni and there is no Dhoni without CSK,” Srinivasan told reporters during a brief interaction after visiting Lord Venkatachalapathy temple with the IPL trophy.

MS Dhoni was the first captain to win the IPL trophy in back-to-back seasons when he won in 2010 and 2011 and then became the second captain to win the IPL three-times with the tournament victory in 2018 when the CSK franchise returned from a two-year suspension.

Currently, the former India captain is with the Indian team as a mentor for the T20 World Cup 2021 which is being played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.

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