West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo is puzzled by the buzz about the future of Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni's highly speculated swansong in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Bravo, who spent almost half of his IPL career with MS Dhoni and CSK, believes that the legendary wicketkeeper batter will walk away when he feels his body can no longer take it.
A lot of fans and several former cricketers voiced their opinion that it is the right time for Dhoni to announce his IPL retirement. However, Dhoni, who turned 44 earlier this month, remained coy about his future with the five-time champions after the end of the 18th season.
Fans and experts demanding Dhoni's retirement stem from his fitful outings during Chennai's shambolic campaign. The wicketkeeper batter is not fully recovered from a knee injury that he got two years ago. He also failed to save his side from finishing at the bottom of the table for the first time in the history of the competition. However, Bravo holds a different view from the common notion.
"I think because of, you know, people have so much high expectations of him. That, you know, when they see him play, he's not performing at the same level he was before. People start questioning. But you have to understand that he's not the same person he was 10, 8, or 12 years ago. But I think what people need to remember is that MS don't need a name. MS don't need a brand. It's more important than anything else," Bravo told ANI.
MS Dhoni took the captaincy midway through IPL 2025 after Rututaj Gaikwad got an injury. Dhoni who is donning the finisher's role, pulled the curtains down on the season with 196 runs from 14 matches at 24.50, with a Player of the Match award against Lucknow Super Giants.
"You know, the little moments that he's on that field, face value, you can pay for that. You know, someone like him walks away from the sport, the sport can dip. You know, so I think people just need to allow him. I know for a fact that CSK management is not worried about MS Dhoni," he said.
"So the fact that other people are so worried and so concerned about him, it baffles me. He will walk away from the sport when he believes his body can no longer take it. He's going to be honest with himself, and he'll walk away. But at the moment, he is still contributing. His wicketkeeping is still up there with the best in the leagues," he added.
Dhoni smashed 12 sixes in IPL 2025 to add firepower in CSK's tail. Bravo admitted that Dhoni is beyond the point where he can pull off a 300- or 400-run campaign, but urged the fans to cherish the time the venerable star has left.
"And he's batting at number 8. So, I mean, hitting a couple of sixes, that's what a number 8 does. You know, I don't think people should want to see MS Dhoni score 300-400 runs in a season. That's not the MS Dhoni. He's not going to do that. But let us just appreciate and accept the fact that he's still about a year or two. However long, let's enjoy that and let's embrace it," Bravo concluded.