MS Dhoni has always revealed his future ambitions in a style that is all his own. Few anticipated that on India's Independence Day in 2020, he would post an Instagram announcement of his worldwide retirement. Dhoni has frequently been the subject of rumours regarding his future in the Indian Premier League throughout the years. Ahead of the IPL 2025 season, he appears to have sent his supporters a "clear" message.
On Wednesday, February 26, he reportedly came to Chennai with the words "One last time" printed on his t-shirt. However, in typical Dhoni fashion, the message was not simple; rather, it was encoded in Morse code, a dot-and-dash communication technique. Fans brought the morse code to attention on social media, so India Today requested Open AI's Chatgpt to decode it.
Morse Code on Dhoni's T-shirt
As the Chennai Super Kings get ready for the IPL 2025, which starts on March 21, Dhoni has attended their preseason camp. When he was spotted leaving the Chennai airport on Wednesday, the code on his t-shirt read as follows.
- --- -. .
- .-....- ... -
- - .. -- .
As it happened, ChatGPT indicated that the word "last" on the t-shirt had been encoded incorrectly.
Here's how "ONE LAST TIME" should look in Morse code:
ONE: --- -. .
LAST: .-.. .- ... -
TIME: - .. -- .
Dhoni had talked candidly about what drives him to continue playing in the IPL at 43. The five-time champion skipper stated that in order to be prepared for the two months of the IPL, he must work for at least six to eight months each year. Dhoni has made it a point to be to CSK's preseason training camps earlier than others since he retired from international cricket.
"For me, my biggest motivation was that contribution to make India win. Now that I've retired from international cricket, I can't say it's the same, but for me now, it's the love for the sport," Dhoni said at a promotional event in Chennai.
After putting a stop to rumours over his future in the IPL, Dhoni will play again in 2025. Since leaving international cricket, Dhoni has had to contend with rumours that he is retiring. Prior to the massive auction, the Super Kings paid Rs 4 crore to keep Dhoni as an uncapped player. Following his fifth IPL victory in 2023, Dhoni expressed his desire to participate in the league for at least one more season as a thank-you to the supporters who have shown him so much affection over the years.
Dhoni chose to prolong his IPL career after failing to qualify for the 2024 playoffs. Dhoni has reaffirmed in previous public appearances that he wants to play in the IPL as long as he enjoys being on the pitch.
The five-time IPL champion skipper has been able to stay healthy and make sure he keeps contributing to the squad. Dhoni participated in all 14 IPL 2024 games for CSK, amassing 161 runs at an incredible strike rate of 220. Although he now bats lower in the order and concentrates on making significant cameos, he has still kept wickets for the Super Kings. On March 22, one day after the season starts in Kolkata, the Super Kings will play their first IPL 2025 match against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai.
