Mahendra Singh Dhoni has played in the Indian Premier League for sixteen years. The 41-year old has won five IPL titles, four as captain and four as a player. Dhoni played in only two of these 16 editions of T20’s largest league – the Chennai Super Kings, and now defunct Rising Pune Super Giants. Dhoni, a Ranchi-born cricketer, has played for CSK in fourteen of the league’s sixteen editions.
The biggest question of the year was how long Dhoni will continue to play for CSK in IPL. CSK CEO KasiVishwanath, who has been giving mixed clues about Dhoni’s IPL Retirement, has now cleared the air.
Vishwanath said he expects Dhoni will play another season before deciding to retire. Kasi Viswanathan, CSK’s CEO, said: “We think MS Dhoni will play next season too. I hope that fans continue to support CSK like they always do.” His comments were made after CSK had taken a lap after Sunday’s game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
MS Dhoni and Co. walked around the stadium while fans cheered them on. Dhoni even launched tennis balls using a racket. He also threw some CSK match T-shirts to the fans.
Will MS Dhoni play in IPL 2020?
It seems that MS Dhoni’s conduct in IPL 2023 has been predetermined. He came to bat with only a few remaining balls and used words such as “farewell” or “last phase of career”. Dhoni is keeping quiet about his IPL retirement, but his gestures make it seem like he’s really done.
CSK skipper had a big smile on his face on Sunday as he led the lap of honor at Chepauk. His eyes were filled with gratitude towards the fans. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni returns to lead CSK during the IPL in 2024.
