'... If I say something' — CSK skipper MS Dhoni answers million dollar question on his IPL retirement

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proven that age is just a number.

SportsTak

• Mon • 17 Apr 2023

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has proven that age is just a number. He has started yet another Indian Premier League (IPL) season on a high and has 6 sixes from his four games, adding to the joy of the local crowd.

But, the main question that the cricketing world has been asking is whether Dhoni will hang up his boots after the ongoing IPL season. The World Cup-winning captain has not featured in a single International match since 2019 after he announced his retirement in 2020.

He is a regular feature in the IPL, however, and as the skipper of CSK, have led them to four IPL trophies.

Recently at a promotional event, one fan asked the Ranchi-born cricketer about his IPL retirement plans. In his own quirky way, the 41-year-old answered the question barring any hints of his retirement. "There is lots of time to take that call. Right now, we have lots of games, and the coach will be under pressure if I say something," Dhoni answered as the crowd cheered for the former Indian captain.

The explosive finisher has not been at the top of his game in the last two editions of the IPL but has started this season with a bang for CSK. He has been striking the ball at a high rate of 214.81 and keeps himself ready to bat lower down the order in a star-studded Chennai batting line-up.

In the 2022 IPL season, Ravindra Jadeja was appointed as CSK's new skipper but having a poor start to the campaign led the 34-year-old all-rounder to pass the baton back to Dhoni.

But one of his former teammates in Kedar Jadhav believes that this is the end of the road for Dhoni in the IPL. “I am telling you this with 2,000 per cent certainty that this will be MS Dhoni’s final season as a player in IPL. I am telling you this exclusively," former CSK batter Jadhav was quoted as saying by CricketNext.

“Dhoni will turn 42 this July. Although still fit, Dhoni is also a human after all. So, I think this will be his final season. Fans shouldn’t be missing any of his matches, they should be watching every ball he’s in the field," he added.