Chennai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni "will be retained" by Chennai Super Kings in the 2021 IPL auctions irrespective of whether he plays for India again or not, asserted former BCCI president N Srinivasan. The lack of a BCCI central contract for the two-time former World Cup winning captain has sparked fresh rumours of his retirement in the last few days but Srinivasan, who is the vice-president and managing director of Indian Cements, owners of CSK, made it clear that Dhoni will continue to play for his franchise.

"People keep saying when will he... how long will he play, etc. He will play. I can assure you. He will play this year. Next year he will go (to) the auction; he will be retained. So there is no doubt in anybody's mind," Srinivasan said at an entrepreneurship event on Saturday. Dhoni has been a part of CSK since the IPL's inaugural edition in 2008 and apart from the two seasons when the franchise was suspended, the wicket-keeper batsman has led the team admirably, guiding it to three title triumphs.