IPL 9: 'Advantage' Pune; but will they pick Mahendra Singh Dhoni first?

Other, known players who will also be on the radar would be Ashwin, Jadeja, Rahane.

New Delhi: Pune and Rajkot came out as the winners on Tuesday as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) picked them to replace suspended Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises Chennai Super Kings and Rajsthan Royals, for two years.

If Intex group bagged the Rajkot team, then, Kolkata-based business tycoon Sanjiv Goenka's RP-Sanjiv Goenka group won the bid for the Pune-based team.

The next process for Pune and Rajkot would be to choose five players from the pool of 50 from Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, out of which maximum of 4 Indian capped players are allowed.

However, Pune have the advantage over Rajkot, as the former will get the chance to bid first.

It means, they have the golden opportunity to pick the Indian limited-overs skipper MS Dhoni, who has certainly been the most sought after player since the inception of the League.

But the question here is – Is Dhoni in Pune's scheme of things?

If yes, then they won't miss the golden opportunity to get him on board.

Other, known players who will also be on the radar of the two news teams would be Brendon McCullum, Ravicahndran Ashwin, Ravinder Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson.

The last date for them to draft their picks is December 15, 2015.

Season 9 of the IPL is going to take place between April 9 to May 29.