IPL auction 2021: CSK management gave tribute to 'Thala Dhoni' in THIS way

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who have worked around and with one name - Mahendra Singh Dhoni - had an imprint of 'Thala' all over them, without even physically having him during the auction for the 2021 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday, in their own den.

CSK, who released six players before the IPL auction, had to fill six slots, out of them one was overseas. The team management including the CEO Kasi Viswanathan and bowling coach Laxmipathy Balaji were all present during the auction, however, both Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming were missing from the event.

But, CSK didn't miss and didn't let the fans miss the presence of the former India skipper. All the members of the CSK team on the auction table were wearing the masks, which had No 7 printed on them, which is Dhoni's jersey number. Not just that, all the members beneath their jackets and coats, were wearing the T-shirt, which had 'Definitely Not' written on them.

For the uninitiated, Dhoni was asked by commentator Danny Morrison at the toss of CSK's last league game in the 2020 season, if he was playing his last IPL game for the men in yellow. Dhoni replied by saying just the two words - "Definitely Not". Even though these are just two normal words, they became a sensation and were trending the whole day, as soon as the skipper uttered them.

Nandri from the #SuperAuction squad for all the support! But are we done yet? #DefinitelyNot!

Inimethane attam arambam.. See you soon #SummerOf2021! #WhistlePodu #Yellove  pic.twitter.com/kJc9Vqqr4r

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) February 18, 2021

On Thursday too, as soon as the fans spotted them in the pictures, they couldn't stop reacting to that, indicating the craze and the following the man still gets, even after retiring from international cricket last year.

Chennai 'Surprise' Kings in the auction

On the table, however, the CSK decided to spring a surprise too as no one saw the players they bid for and eventually, they picked and the prices which were picked coming especially from the team, which isn't famous for being money ballers.

After going to the fullest extent to have Glenn Maxwell in their side, CSK didn't leave out on another off-spin all-rounder in Moeen Ali. If he wasn't enough, CSK broke the bank for another similar player, this time, however, an Indian in Krishnappa Gowtham, as they splurged out a whopping amount of INR 9.25 crores, making him the highest-paid uncapped player ever in the history of the league.

This was just the trailer, as CSK had more in the store. India's Test No 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, who hasn't played in the IPL for 7 years now, was picked by the Chennai side at his base price of INR 50 Lakh. Pujara, who isn't really considered a T20 batsman, has featured in the league in 30 games in the past and has a strike rate of less than 100.

Chennai, with the picks of Moeen and Gowtham, strengthened their middle-lower order and with them being three-dimensional players, it will help their balance a lot more. Given Suresh Raina will be back and having traded Robin Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals, the three-time champions have also bolstered their Indian batting stocks.

Chennai Super Kings Full Squad for IPL 2021: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, N. Jagdeesan, KM Asif, R Sai Kishore, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Josh Hazlewood, Krishnappa Gowtham, Moeen Ali, Cheteshwar Pujara, K Bhagath Verma, C Hari Nishanth, M Harisankar Reddy.