IPL Auction 2021 / CSK officials wear Dhoni-inspired 'Definitely Not' T-shirt at IPL auction

Cricket Desk: MS Dhoni was expected to attend the auction for this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) in Chennai. In the past 13 seasons, the former India skipper had never attended the auction. However, he was expected to break the duck this year after his retirement from international cricket. Dhoni had brought down curtains on his glorious international career last year.

The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman, however, once again decided not to attend the auction. But while Dhoni was not present in the auction in person, his affect was clearly visible in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) camp. The representatives of the franchise sported shirts with Dhoni’s iconic line – ‘Definitely Not’ imprinted on them.

Dhoni had come up with the famous line during IPL 2020 to end all the speculations surrounding his future in IPL. There were rumours suggesting that Dhoni might retire from IPL after the completion of the tournament. But when commentator Danny Morrison had asked whether IPL 2020 was his last as a player, the CSK skipper had famously said: “Definitely Not!”

Morrison had asked the question to Dhoni before CSK’s last game of IPL 2020. The two words were enough for the CSK and Dhoni fans to heave a sigh of relief. Days before the start of IPL 2020, Dhoni had sprung a huge surprise by retiring from international cricket on August 15. Along with him, Suresh Raina had also announced his retirement.

MS Dhoni and CSK eye strong season

MS Dhoni and his team will be eyeing a strong comeback this year after a rare failure last year. CSK failed to make it to the playoffs for the first time in the history of IPL last year. They languished at the bottom of the table for the most part of the season and eventually finished a lowly seventh in IPL 2020 which was held in the UAE.

Dhoni had also faced severe criticism for his captaincy decisions and his indifferent batting displays. The legendary batsman had managed to score only 200 runs in 14 games. With IPL 2021 set to be hosted in India, Dhoni and CSK will look to bounce back.