Sports: The Chennai Super Kings franchise is looking to build its strategy of player retention after former skipper MS Dhoni confirmed his plans for IPL future. Dhoni has recently said that he is looking to enjoy the last years left for him to play cricket.

"I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I am able to play," Dhoni was quoted as saying to TOI. "When you play cricket like a professional sport, it becomes difficult to enjoy it just like a game. That's what I want to do. It's not easy.

"The emotions keep coming, the commitments are there. I want to enjoy the game for the next few years. I have to keep myself fit for nine months, so that I can play two and a half months of IPL. You need to plan it out, but at the same time chill a bit," he added.

Now the franchise CEO Kasi Viswanathan has opened up on the development. "When he is ready, what else (do) we want. We are happy," Viswanathan said as quoted by Cricbuzz. 

The report added that Dhoni will dial up N Srinivasan, the franchise owner, and will finalise the list of retentions. The final date to confirm the retentions is October 31 and franchises can retain up to six players with a maximum of five capped ones. 

Dhoni would be retained as an uncapped player after the IPL Governing Council brought back the rule it had scrapped in 2021. The five-time champions would pay Dhoni INR 4 crore for the upcoming season. "A capped Indian player will become uncapped, if the player has in the last five calendar years preceding the year in which the relevant Season is held, not played in the starting XI in International Cricket (Test match, ODI, Twenty20 International) or does not have a Central Contract with BCCI. This will be applicable for Indian Players only," the rule says.

Notably, as stated by Cricbuzz, CSK will retain Ravindra Jadeja as their first pick at INR 18 crore, followed by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad as their second pick for INR 14 crore. Speedster Matheesha Pathirana has agreed for being the third retention for INR 11 crore. 

The five-time champions can also retain two more players apart from the above four. They have Shivam Dube, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and uncapped Sameer Rizvi as probable options.