‘He’s their man’ – Simon Doull names Indian star as the successor to MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings

A massive news for Indian cricket fans, MS Dhoni has all but confirmed that he is set to play IPL 2025 season. The former skipper has stated that he wanted to enjoy the last few years of his cricket career during an event recently. Former New Zealand player turned Simon Doull has named young Indian star as successor to Dhoni. 

Simon Doull said while speaking to Jio Cinema that CSK should invest heavily in Rishabh Pant. The former Kiwi pacer said, “I think they’re just going to go heavily for Rishabh Pant if he goes into auction. He’s their man to take them through post-MS Dhoni wherever that may be.”

Rishabh Pant’s future with Delhi Capitals has been thrown up in the air. The 27-year-old is yet to show his willingness to stay with his home side. While the franchise is more than happy to retain Pant, the sticking point is the price quoted. This has made the 27-year-old unhappy, who in turn is contemplating putting himself up for auctions. 

Simon Doull speaks on Chennai’s likely retention strategy 

Chennai Super Kings and the other nine teams in the IPL will have to name their retained players by 31st October. Some speculations will be the number 1 retained star for the five-time winners. There are reports that Ravindra Jadeja or Ruturaj Gaikwad could be the number one pick ahead of the deadline on Thursday. 

Simon Doull said, “Ruturaj Gaikwad, then top of the tree Ravindra Jadeja absolutely there, Matheesha Pathirana, I think absolutely. I see MS come out and say that I will let you know the day before the retentions are allowed. He’s keeping them on a little bit of a string at the moment as to whether he is going to be there. Obviously, if he’s available and ready to go, he’s another one they have to keep a hold of. He’s the franchise man.”

Meanwhile, former Indian star Harbhajan Singh gave his take on Chennai’s likely strategy while speaking to Star Sports. The 44-year-old said, “I'm not certain if Dhoni will play or not, but if he's available, he would certainly be the team's first choice for retention, even if he is considered an uncapped player this season. Following him, the next pick would be Ravindra Jadeja, then Rachin Ravindra. As for the captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad, he would also be a definite retention.”

The former India and CSK star also said, “I believe these four players will be retained. Besides them, we could also see Pathirana, who is an excellent bowler, kept in the squad. And if an uncapped player is retained, there could be a surprise choice, but CSK may only retain five players. So in my view, the likely retentions are Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Pathirana."