Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan revealed that Moeen Ali was keen on staying with the defending champions for IPL 2022, saying that the England all-rounder had told them that he was not even thinking about playing for any other franchise amid retention talks.
Chennai Super Kings retained Moeen Ali for INR 8 crore. The England all-rounder played a key role in helping MS Dhoni’s men win their 4th IPL trophy in the UAE earlier this year.
Chennai Super Kings Retains Moeen Ali Who Wanted To Play For CSK Irrespective Of Retention Amount
All 8 existing franchises announced their list of retained players on November 30 ahead of the mega auction for IPL 2022. Chennai Super Kings retained Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, and Ruturaj Gaikwad in that order. Ravindra Jadeja has been retained for Rs 16 crore, while MS Dhoni took home Rs 12 crore. Moeen Ali was retained for Rs 8 crore, while Ruturaj Gaikwad bagged Rs 6 crore.
Notably, CSK had bought Moeen Ali for Rs 7 crore at the auction ahead of IPL 2021. The England star played a crucial role in helping CSK win their 4th title as he hit 357 runs and picked up 6 wickets in 15 matches.
“When we spoke to Moeen first, he said he has been overwhelmed with the offer which was made and he said he has not thought of any other franchise at all. That was his reaction immediately and he said ‘whether I am one, two, three or four (retention number), I don’t mind, I will be there. So was the case with Rutu (Ruturaj),” Kasi Viswanathan told CSK’s official website.
“We always had a feeling that he will be a very useful all-rounder for us especially when we play in India. We were able to get him only last year. So it is good that he came in and was able to perform under the captaincy of MS (Dhoni),” he added.
Moeen Ali was a key member of the CSK squad, which won another IPL title in 2021. The English all-rounder played several cameos for the Yellow Army at the top of the order and also chipped in with crucial breakthroughs every now and then. CSK had bought Moeen Ali for Rs 7 crore at the auction ahead of IPL 2021.
MS Dhoni Also Took A Pay Cut
MS Dhoni also took a pay cut after confirming that he would continue playing for CSK and wanted to have his farewell game in Chennai. It remains to be seen if MS Dhoni will play the whole of IPL 2022.
Stressing that Dhoni will continue to play an integral role for CSK, Viswanathan added: “As all of you know, Thala has been the mainstay of CSK. He has been a captain who has delivered for the franchise and he has got the best out of the team any time he has played.”
“As far as we are concerned, Thala plays a major role because he controls the team and the team has benefited by his experience, and nobody can doubt his skill as a captain.”
After failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the tournament’s history in 2020, CSK made a brilliant comeback in 2021 – where they not only became the first team to qualify for the play-offs but also defeated Eoin Morgan-led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to clinch another IPL title.
MS Dhoni did not have a good run with the bat, but he remains to be one of the wisest skippers and continues to play an integral role for CSK. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings have retained Ravindra Jadeja (16 crores), MS Dhoni (12 crores), Moeen Ali (8 crores), and Ruturaj Gaikwad (6 crores). This leaves INR 48 Cr with the yellow brigade to spend in the IPL 2022 mega auctions.
The likes of Dwayne Bravo, Faf Du Plessis, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Suresh Raina were released by CSK. MS Dhoni scored exactly 200 runs in IPL 2020, averaging a below-par 25 while managing only 114 runs in IPL 2021 in 16 games averaging a dismal 16.28.