'Would you like to come and play in the Hundred' - Shane Warne asks MS Dhoni upon his retirement

The whole cricket community on Saturday got uninvited news at 1929 hrs. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the most celebrated captains and the world announced his retirement from international cricket. Everyone in the cricket fraternity gave their opinions and shared their memories with the legend.

Shane Warne, one of the best spinners to grace the game even invited the former Indian skipper to join his team in ‘The Hundred’ amid all the sorrow. ‘The Hundred’ is a highly anticipated tournament of Engish Cricket Board (ECB). It has the rules quite different from the three existing formats of the game as it involves 100 balls per innings.

The former spinner was in the commentary box of the ongoing second Test between England and Pakistan when the former Indian stumper called time on his illustrated cricketing career. Warne wondered whether Dhoni will consider playing for the team ‘London Spirit’ he is going to coach next year in ‘The Hundred’.

“I’m just wondering if I can get him down to the London Spirit next year for The Hundred. Ok MS, if you would like to continue to play outside of the IPL (Indian Premier League), would you like to come and play for the London Spirit at Lord’s next year in The Hundred?” said Warne as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Wasim Akram, who was sitting next to him in the commentary box jokingly said that Dhoni might be wondering whether the team can afford him or not. Notably, Dhoni is one of the richest cricketers and the third-highest paid cricketer in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Warney if I was MS Dhoni, I would be asking you how much budget do you have,” said Wasim to which Warne replied: “I’ll find the money, MS.”

MS Dhoni may not be allowed to play in ‘The Hundred’

The team ‘London Spirit’ will be playing the tournament as Lord’s as their home ground. The extravaganza which has a lot of expectations out of it was supposed to be played this year but has been postponed to summer of 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic. It already involves a lot of star players and it is expected to be given more significance than ‘Natwest T20 Blast’, ECB’s current T20 League.

Dhoni has retired from the International circuit but will still be leading his IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming season from next month. However, as per the BCCI’s policy on Indian male cricketers, the players can play in the foreign leagues only if they are not associated with BCCI or any IPL franchise. As Dhoni is going to continue playing for CSK in future, he may not be allowed to play in ‘The Hundred’.