The much-awaited cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) will begin on March 22 and all the eyes are on former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni as it could be his last season. After IPL 2023, he underwent left knee surgery which troubled him throughout the season. After regaining full fitness, IPL 2024 may be Dhoni's last dance as he relinquished the captaincy.
The 42-year-old Dhoni will help new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad lead defending champions CSK in the IPL 2024. CSK will face off against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 in the IPL 2024 opener match in Chennai.
Dhoni had previously hinted at wanting to bring down the curtains in the yellow jersey in a special manner. But his exact plans remain uncertain.
"This is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love I have received all over. The easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be working hard for 9 months and try to play another IPL," Dhoni said after winning the IPL 2023 final.
While talking on JioCinema, Suresh Raina revealed Dhoni's plans for IPL retirement during their last meeting in IPL 2023.
“Main trophy jeetke ek saal aur khelunga (After winning the trophy, I will play one more year),” were Dhoni’s words to Raina.
Dhoni has never been about farewell games. He likes to keep news of his retirement close to his chest. That's how he bid goodbye to the red-ball and white-ball formats on the international stage.
Dhoni’s Test Retirement
On December 30, 2014, Dhoni unexpectedly ended his Test career during India’s Test series in Australia in the 2014-15 season. He shocked the cricketing fraternity when he announced his retirement from Test format.
"Nobody had a clue (about his retirement). He came up to me and said that 'I have an extra large (jersey). This is Double XL. Keep this,” said Raina in an interview with Cricbuzz after Dhoni’s retirement.
He played his last Test series against Australia in December 2014. He registered an unbeaten 24 in the second innings of his last Test as the match ended in a draw. Chasing a target of 384, India managed to score 174 for six in 66 overs.
Dhoni’s ODI and T20I retirement
Dhoni announced his retirement from ODI and T20I on August 15, 2020.
After India's loss in the World Cup 2019 semifinal to New Zealand in Manchester, England, Dhoni decided to retire from the ODI and T20I format. Although he officially announced it around 13 months after the event, Dhoni admitted that he didn’t feel it was the right moment or time to do so at that time.
His last appearance in the ODI came in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand where he slammed a fifty but failed to lead India to qualify for the final.
Other than the ODI, he played his last T20I against Australia in Bengaluru in 2019.
The Covid-19 pandemic played a role in Dhoni’s decision to retire from international cricket. India’s spinner Yuzvendra Chahal said that Dhoni would have played the T20 World Cup if wasn’t for the pandemic. There were speculations regarding his participation in the T20 World Cup in Australia, which was postponed to 2022 due to the global health crisis.
His retirement announcement came via an emotional post on Instagram:
Dhoni is the only captain in cricket history to win all three ICC tournaments: the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. His leadership prowess extends to the IPL, where he boasts a legendary track record.
5 Titles in 14 Seasons
Dhoni has steered the CSK team to five IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023.
| Year | Winner | Won by | Runner Up | Venue |
| 2010 | Chennai Super Kings | 22 runs | Mumbai Indians | Mumbai |
| 2011 | Chennai Super Kings | 58 runs | Royal Challengers Bangalore | Chennai |
| 2018 | Chennai Super Kings | 8 wickets | Sunrisers Hyderabad | Mumbai |
| 2021 | Chennai Super Kings | 27 runs | Kolkata Knight Riders | Dubai |
| 2023 | Chennai Super Kings | 5 wickets | Gujarat Titans | Ahmedabad |
They finished as the runners-up in 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2019.
| Year | Winner | Won by | Runner Up | Venue |
| 2008 | Rajasthan Royals | 3 wickets | Chennai Super Kings | Mumbai |
| 2012 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 5 wickets | Chennai Super Kings | Chennai |
| 2013 | Mumbai Indians | 23 runs | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata |
| 2015 | Mumbai Indians | 41 runs | Chennai Super Kings | Kolkata |
| 2019 | Mumbai Indians | 1 run | Chennai Super Kings | Hyderabad |
Dhoni's Captaincy Record
Dhoni has captained CSK in 212 IPL matches. Under his leadership, the Chennai-based franchise boasts an impressive record with 128 victories and 82 losses while two matches ended with no result. He has a commanding win percentage of 58.84 as captain in IPL.
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