MS Dhoni eligible to play for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2018

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is all set to reunite with the Chennai Super Kings for the 11th edition of the IPL, after the Governing Council laid out new rules for the 2018 player auctions.

An IPL Franchise is eligible to secure up to five players by virtue of a combination of 'Player Retentions' and 'Right to Match'.

With the retention and RTM cards applied, it will technically mean that the two interim franchises, Rising Pune Supergiant and Gujarat Lions, did not essentially exist itself, which implies that Dhoni is automatically a CSK player.

Apart from Dhoni, the two previously suspended franchises have a right to retain their past stars, with Chennai Super Kings having the option of retaining the likes of Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo and Brendon McCullum, while Rajasthan Royals will have a chance to avail the services of Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane and James Faulkner once again.

Ben Stokes, the biggest buy of IPL 2017, will be part of fresh auctions next year.

Before joining the Rising Pune Supergiant for a period of two years, during the time the Chennai side was suspended, Dhoni captained the Super Kings from 2008 to 2015, leading his side to two IPL titles in 2010 and 2011, as well as a Champions League title in 2010.

With the Rajasthan and Pune sides suspended after the 2015 season, Dhoni was acquired by the Rising Pune Supergiant, and led them in the 2016 edition. However, the poor performance of the side forced the management to replace him with Steve Smith the following year.

One of the icon players in the first edition, Dhoni was contracted to play for the Chennai franchise for $1.5 million, which had made him the then most expensive IPL player.

Watch some of Dhoni's breathtaking knocks from the IPL's second edition: