Published: Dec 15, 2015, 12:18 PM (IST)
Edited: Dec 15, 2015, 12:24 PM (IST)
MS Dhoni, former captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has been picked by the Pune franchise for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2016. This will be the first time since the inception of IPL in 2008 that Dhoni will be playing for a different IPL side. He is one of the few players to have represented the same team for every edition of IPL from 2008 to 2015. It took the banning of Chennai Super Kings for Dhoni to finally play for a different side. Pune got the first choice to pick a player, and they chose to go for the current Indian One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International (T20I) skipper, Dhoni. Live Cricket Updates, IPL 2016 Player Draft: MS Dhoni, Brendon McCullum, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane to get new teams
It was expected that he would be the first choice, given that Dhoni’s brand value as a cricketer is perhaps unsurpassed in the current crop of international players. Added to that is his utility not just with the bat, but also as wicketkeeper and captain. Dhoni’s teammates at Pune will be Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Steven Smith, and Faf du Plessis. Meanwhile, Team Rajkot has local hero Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina, Brendon McCullum, James Faulkner, and Dwayne Bravo. READ: Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Brendon McCullum among players picked by Rajkot franchise for IPL 2016
IPL 2016 will be played with eight teams despite CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR) being banned from participating for two years. The two new teams were picked via reverse bidding, with Pune and Rajkot making the cut. Both sides are yet to be officially named. The other six teams are Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Delhi Daredevils (DD), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Mumbai Indians (MI), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
.@msdhoni to play for Pune franchise. First to be picked in the vivo #IPLdraft
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) December 15, 2015
IPL 2016 will be played from April 9 to May 29, 2016. It will continue to be an eight-team affair, with CSK and RR returning once their two-year bans are lifted. They will replace their stand-in teams from Rajkot and Pune. READ: MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane to play for Team Pune in IPL 2016
