CSK legend MS Dhoni ends suspense around his IPL retirement ahead of 2025 edition, says 'whatever few years, I will be...'

MS Dhoni reveals IPL retirement plans

In a recent discussion about his future in cricket, Dhoni expressed his desire to savor the remaining years of his career.

While he remained tight-lipped about when he plans to retire, his words suggest that he intends to continue playing for as long as he can, cherishing every moment on the field.

“I've retired since 2019, so it will be quite some time. What I've been doing in the meantime is I just want to enjoy cricket for the last, whatever few years, you know, I will be able to play. I want to enjoy it, how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4 o'clock (in the afternoon) was sports time, so we'll go and play cricket more often than not,” Dhoni told PTI at an event.

“But if the weather doesn't permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence… (but it is) easier said than done,” Dhoni added.

Dhoni is widely regarded as one of India's greatest cricket captains. He played instrumental role in elevating India to become a dominant force in world cricket, and his leadership shaped the careers of many modern-day cricketing stars, including Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja.

Dhoni's remarkable captaincy led India to title triumphs in all three major white-ball ICC tournaments. He achieved the unprecedented feat of winning the T20 World Cup in 2007, the ODI World Cup in 2011, and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013, making him the only captain to have accomplished the rare feat.

The former India captain also offered key advice for the young turks and said not everyone gets an opportunity to represent the nation. 

“For me as a cricketer, I always wanted to perform for the Indian cricket team because I've said that in the past also, that not everybody gets a chance to represent the country. For us as cricketers, whenever we went on to the big stage or whenever we were touring, there was a chance for us to win laurels for the country and so for me it was the country that always came first," former CSK skipper further stated.

“You always need to figure out what is good for you. When I was playing, I made sure that cricket was a whole for me — nothing else mattered. What time I had to sleep? What time I had to get up? What impact it had on (my) cricket, that was the most important thing. You know, all the friendships, the fun, all those can happen later. There is a right time for everything and I felt if you are able to recognise that, that's the best thing you can do (for yourself)”, Dhoni concluded.

CSK's full schedule for IPL 2025:

March 23 (Sunday) – CSK vs Mumbai Indians (MI) in Chennai
March 28 (Friday) – CSK vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Chennai
March 30 (Sunday) – CSK vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati
April 5 (Saturday) – CSK vs Delhi Capitals (DC) in Chennai
April 8 (Tuesday) – CSK vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mullanpur
April 11 (Friday) – CSK vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai
April 14 (Monday) – CSK vs Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow
April 20 (Sunday) – CSK vs Mumbai Indians (MI) in Mumbai
April 25 (Friday) – CSK vs Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Chennai
April 30 (Wednesday) – CSK vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Chennai
May 3 (Saturday) – CSK vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Bengaluru
May 7 (Wednesday) – CSK vs Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Kolkata
May 12 (Monday) – CSK vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Chennai
May 18 (Sunday) – CSK vs Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad