IPL 2023: MS Dhoni – With the start of every Indian Premier League (IPL) season, there is always one thing on the minds of experts and fans, Will this be MS Dhoni’s last year? While the CSK skipper does not divulge much details about his impending retirement, MI skipper Rohit Sharma feels Dhoni is fit enough to play for 2-3 years and doesn’t think this will be his last IPL season. The India opener opened about on the CSK skipper’s retirement topic during MI pre-season press conference. Follow IPL 2023 Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.
“I’ve been hearing for the last 2-3 years that this is going to be MS Dhoni’s last season. I think he is fit enough to play a few more seasons,” Rohit said in MI’s pre-season press conference.
IPL 2023: Will this be the last year of MS Dhoni in a CSK jersey?
While there is no official announcement yet on the matter, it seems Dhoni will retire after playing the final IPL 2023 season. One of the CSK officials has confirmed that this will be the CSK skipper’s last as a player.
“Yes, it will be MS’s last season as a player. That is what we know so far. But of course, it’s his decision. He hasn’t officially communicated to the management that he will go into retirement. It is a special occasion for all CSK fans as IPL returns to Chennai. But it will be a sad moment if Dhoni plays his final season,” a CSK official told InsideSport.
For the unversed, CSK also began the transition by appointing Ravindra Jadeja as captain in IPL 2022. However, the move backfired as the southpaw failed big time as a leader and captain. Midway through the tournament, Dhoni was back as a leader. In the IPL mini-auction, CSK splurged 16.25 crores to acquire Ben Stokes, indicating that the England captain might be the successor to Dhoni.
“Of course, we are very happy getting Ben Stokes. He is not just a match-winner but also a great leader. It’s MS’s call on who he will name his successor. With foreign players leading in IPL, there is always the problem of combination. Plus, all-rounders are always tricky customers to handle. If Ben doesn’t get an NOC next year, it will be a problem. So, one can never rule out a young Ruturaj,” a CSK official earlier told InsideSport.
CSK kick off the IPL 2022 season by playing a match against The Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. Tickets for the same have been sold out.