The 4 players that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) retained ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auctions were Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and Moeen Ali. However, Dhoni was not the first retention made by the CSK outfit.

Ravindra Jadeja was picked as the first-choice retention by the ‘Men in Yellow’, and the all-rounder will be paid a sum of INR 16 Crores. On the other hand, CSK skipper Dhoni will draw a salary of INR 12 Crores.

And, Robin Uthappa feels that the decision to retain Jadeja as the first pick would have been made by Dhoni himself. Adding that Dhoni knows the value of Jadeja, Uthappa feels that Jadeja might even replace Dhoni as the captain of the CSK side in the future as well.

“I am sure that is MS Dhoni’s doing itself. He knows the value that Jadeja has to the unit. I think from what I understand, Jadeja might be someone who could end up leading the squad in the future as well when MS Dhoni retires. They have given him the due he deserved,” said Uthappa.

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, Sourav Ganguly, said that India’s tour of South Africa stays on schedule for the time being. The Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus has made South Africa a ‘risk country’, but BCCI and Ganguly don’t wish to press the panic button and rather want to take their time before zeroing on in any decision.

Recently, amidst the COVID-19 scare, the BCCI didn’t pull out from India A’s ongoing red-ball matches against South Africa A at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein. The upcoming tour is scheduled to get underway on Friday, December 17 with the opening Test at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg.

“The tour is on as things stand till now. We still have time to decide. The first Test is scheduled for December 17. We will ponder about it,” Ganguly told the reporters.

Punjab Kings’ head coach Anil Kumble said that PBKS had plans of retaining KL Rahul ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, bu.