Former Indian captain MS Dhoni was surprisingly retained by the Chennai Super Kings for INR 12 crore ahead of the 2022 IPL mega auction. Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Moeen Ali were the other cricketers who were retained by the four-time champions, and it seems like they want to build the next big team around Dhoni’s leadership as well.
Among the many amazing players Chennai have had over the course of time, Dwayne Bravo tops the list. A two-time purple cap winner, and one of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament history, the fast bowler had stayed with them for a decade and won three titles. For the first time since signing Bravo in the auction in 2011, he might be heading back there after being retained nearly every time by the franchise.
However, he expressed his gratitude for the franchise, and also MS Dhoni, crediting him for the great success he has garnered over the years.
“We all know that MS Dhoni and I call each other brothers from another mother. We have developed a strong friendship. He is a global ambassador of the game and he has helped my career personally.
We both have a great legacy at CSK and we have helped in turning that franchise into one of the most dominant franchises and that will be there in the history books. We have a strong friendship and that is more important than anything else,”
Bravo said.
Talking about his future with the franchise, the Caribbean all-rounder mentioned that he will be heading into the auction, potentially ruling out the chance of getting drafted by one of the two new teams. Team Ahmedabad and Team Lucknow, the two new additions to the Indian Premier League, will have the opportunity to draft three cricketers each ahead of the mega auction.
The 38-year-old picked up 167 wickets in 151 matches, at an incredible average of 24.32 and an economy of 8.36, which is incredible considering the fact that he was predominantly a death bowling specialist. He is one of the most prolific wicket-takers in IPL, second only to Lasith Malinga.