AB de Villiers was recently overjoyed to discover MS Dhoni’s name on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retention list ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mini-auction.
AB de Villiers mentioned how it was commonly assumed that Dhoni’s final participation in the IPL would be in 2023. However, the former South African icon believes that predicting the renowned skipper’s next move is impossible.
De Villiers commented on his YouTube channel on Dhoni’s availability:
“I see that man’s name on the retention list, and it just makes me happy. There was a lot of talk about it in the last season about whether it was going to be his last season. He is moving on to 2024 to play another IPL season. With him, he is always full of surprises. Maybe he has got three more to go, who knows? But It is just great to see his name on there.”
AB de Villiers
Despite a sore knee, MS Dhoni participated in all of CSK’s IPL 2023 matches. In a hotly contested final, he guided them to their sixth triumph, as Chennai overcame the Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets (DLS method).
Dhoni had successful knee surgery following the event and is now prepared to captain the Chennai-based team in the next edition as well.
“They are very good at picking up released players” – AB de Villiers predicts CSK targeting Shahrukh Khan at IPL 2024 auction
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) released Tamil Nadu batter Shahrukh Khan ahead to the IPL 2024 mini-auction. AB de Villiers believes CSK may be enticed to pursue the flamboyant batsman.
The former South African captain claimed that their tenure with CSK gave discharged players a fresh lease on life on several occasions.
“He (Shahrukh Khan) is a strong player and is pretty consistent,” de Villiers stated. “I am very sure some of the teams will be very keen to get him over there. He hits the ball a long way as well. That’s where CSK stand out. They are very good at picking up released players.
AB de Villiers
He added:
“Guys who seem to be forgotten, all of a sudden play in the yellow jersey and are in the top five run-scorers list or wicket-taking list.”
AB de Villiers
Chennai dropped eight players from their team and will enter the IPL 2024 auction with a purse of 32.1 crore remaining.