Chennai Super Kings' former captain and most iconic name, MS Dhoni is looking great ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League season. On Tuesday, March 18, during the CSK practice, Dhoni once again shown that, at the age of 43, he still had the firepower to defeat top fast bowlers. He hit one of Matheesha Pathirana's misdirected yorkers for a six when batting against the fast bowler from Sri Lanka. At Chennai's MS Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni unleashed his classic helicopter shot, sending the ball flying past the boundary line and over the bowler's head.
In this tournament edition, MS Dhoni was retained by the CSK as an uncapped player. Because Dhoni was kept at Rs 4 crore, CSK was able to retain other choices for a significant financial gain. There is a chance that MS Dhoni may be leaving the Indian Premier League at the end of this season.
Recently, he even wore a T-shirt with the words "One last time" inscribed in Morse code. Dhoni had previously 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.
Even though Dhoni will turn 44 in July 2025, the former captain has kept up his fitness levels and is well-suited to handle the demands of the IPL.
CSK IPL 2025 squad
Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, C Andre Siddarth, Vansh Bedi, Shaik Rasheed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Kamlesh Nagarkoti