So what if Mahendra Singh Dhoni doesn't have an Indian Premier League side to play for as of now! He can still buy a new team and play in that, can't he? Yes he can, if reports are to be believed. India's ODI and T20 captain has shown interest in buying an IPL franchise that will feature in the 2016 edition.
Dhoni's previous side, the Chennai Super Kings, are serving a two-year suspension after the Supreme Court-led panel recommended a ban for CSK and the Rajasthan Royals from the IPL for two years. Since retiring from Tests late last year, Dhoni's personal captaincy form has hit a low in 2015 without a single trophy win in either of ODIs and T20s.
The 34-year-old has made his interest known to the BCCI to buy a team, the base price for which has been kept at Rs 40 crore by the board. Apart from Dhoni, Kolkata entrepreneur Sanjeev Goeka too is keen to purchase an IPL side, according to a report on Mid-Day. Both Goenka and Dhoni have told the board that they have the required support of investors in order to make a successful bid.
Dhoni has an option of choosing from nine venues earmarked by the BCCI for two new teams, the walk-in bids for which will be entertained on December 8 by the board. The nine cities include Ahmedabad, Indore and Kanpur while Jaipur and Kochi have been barred as franchise bases for reasons unknown.
Goenka, a good friend of Sourav Ganguly, owns the Indian Super League side Atletico de Kolkata and can buy any other side apart from Kolkata, where KKR already have a franchise.
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