"MS Dhoni does not think too far ahead" - Gautam Gambhir on CSK's retentions

Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has lauded CSK (Chennai Super Kings) for refraining from making wholesale changes in their squad before the IPL 2021 auction.

CSK have released just five players - Kedar Jadhav, Piyush Chawla, Murali Vijay, Harbhajan Singh and Monu Kumar - apart from the already retired Shane Watson. They have also acquired the services of Robin Uthappa from the Rajasthan Royals.

Here’s a complete list of players released and retained by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2021 IPL auction 🤩Who do you think CSK should get in the auction? 🤔👇🏻#IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/uhY2zy2imi

— Sportskeeda (@Sportskeeda) January 22, 2021

In the recent edition of the Star Sports show Cricket Connected, Gautam Gambhir was asked if Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla were only released because CSK wanted money in their purse as the duo had a huge price tag.

The former Indian opener responded by stating that the MS Dhoni-led side had made the correct decision by not making drastic changes.

"I feel it is the right strategy. Overall revamp does not mean that you change the entire team. And if you see CSK's season, it was not that bad a season. Just because there are a lot of expectations from CSK, they had qualified for the playoffs every time, probably because of that we were asking if they need an overall revamp," said Gambhir

Gautam Gambhir pointed out that MS Dhoni is known to stay in the present and not worry too much about the future. He added this facet of CSK differentiates them from a franchise like RCB, who opted for wholesale changes despite making it through to the playoffs.

"This is MS Dhoni's specialty. I have always said that MS Dhoni does not think too far ahead. He only thinks about building the team for a particular season and that is the difference between CSK and RCB. People are saying that CSK had a very bad season and need an overall revamp but despite that, they have left only five players. On the other hand, RCB have left ten players even after qualifying for the playoffs," added Gambir

---

"CSK's success story in the IPL is a balanced mind" - Gautam Gambhir

Kedar Jadhav is one of the players released by CSK [P/C: iplt20.com]

Gautam Gambhir highlighted CSK's professionalism in managing a team, giving the much-needed backing to all their players.

"CSK's success story in the IPL is a balanced mind which knows how important it is to give security to the players, not only to those players who are in your playing XI but also all the players who are sitting in the dressing room," said Gambhir

Gambhir backed CSK's decision of releasing Kedar Jadhav and Piyush Chawla. He reckoned the franchise put the dup back into the auction because of the amounts shelled out for them.

"Piyush Chawla, probably for the price tag and they have a replacement for him in Karn Sharma and Imran Tahir. Kedar Jadhav because of the number at which he bats and the price tag, that could be the reason, if he had a price of 3 or 4 crores, I feel MS Dhoni would have given him another season. They have left him only because of the price tag, which I think is a very very sensible thing CSK has done," concluded Gautam Gambhir

With a mega-auction likely to happen next year, CSK would only be looking to beef up their squad for IPL 2021. It might not be a surprise if the Chennai-based franchise opts to buy back Jadhav or Chawla at a lower price in case they do not get any better alternatives.

All the #Yellove, @JadhavKedar for etching a sweet victory on the dream comeback and the super memories! #WhistlePodu 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/REBUNC9LJ8

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) January 20, 2021