Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain and icon MS Dhoni has said that he fully expects the franchise to buy Ravichandran Ashwin during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on January 27.
Dhoni, along with Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, were the three players retained by the franchise on its return to the league after serving a two-year-suspension.
Local boy and India off-spinner Ashwin has been one of the key players for CSK over the years and will be one of the first names to come up in the auction when they take place.
“As I have said it is always a tough call (on who to retain). With Ashwin, you know we had done the same thing in the past. We will definitely go for him (Ashwin) in the auction. Ashwin definitely being a local lad, we want a lot of local players to be part of CSK,” the former India skipper said on the sidelines of a promotional event on Friday.
Ashwin has been an integral figure for CSK over the years.
“We have two right-to-match options but having already retained three capped Indians, don’t think we can use it. We will have to buy him out in the auction. As of now, it is tough to say, we will get him or him or him. Ashwin will come first in the auction for us. But we will have to wait and watch. We will try to get him,” he added.
Ashwin meanwhile will be itching to show his Twenty20 prowess once again after missing out on limited-overs action with the Indian team.
The emergence of wrist-spinners Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav has seen them being favoured over the more experienced spin duo in ODIs and T20Is for India over the past year or so.
