May 20 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Thala fans. Rejoice. MS Dhoni is not going anywhere… at least, not as of now. The belief was that Chennai Super Kings’ heartbreaking defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru was Dhoni’s swansong as he quietly disappeared in the CSK dressing room without shaking hands. Dhoni wasn’t seen for the longest time and the first photo of him that emerged after the game was of him about to board the flight to Ranchi from Bengaluru. The former CSK captain then landed in his hometown, fueling speculations about his retirement. But if the latest developments are to be believed, there may be gas left in the tank… after all.
Dhoni has not yet conveyed his retirement plans to the CSK management. The people in the know believe that while MSD hasn’t committed to anything yet, he needs time to make a decision about the future. In between, a report had emerged of Dhoni playing IPL 2024 for CSK with a muscle tear, which is why he was batting lower down and only to face a certain number of deliveries. Still, lately, the legend looked comfortable and had no difficulty at all either keeping wicket or batting.
“Dhoni has not told anybody in CSK that he is quitting. He has told the management that he will wait for a couple of months before taking a final call,” TOI quoted a source as saying. “He did not feel any discomfort in running between the wickets, which is a plus. We will wait for Dhoni’s communication. He always has the best interests of the team in mind; let’s see what happens.”
Dhoni in IPL 2024
IPL 2024 was the best the world saw Dhoni bat in a long time. The 42-year-old played all league matches for CSK, and while he got limited time with the bat, MSD ensured he enthralled the audience with his lusty blows. Dhoni scored 161 runs from 14 games at an average of 53.67 and strike rate of 220.5. His knocks against Mumbai Indians – 20 off four balls in the last over and the final over assault against Delhi Capitals, where he took Anrich Nortje for 32 runs – including four sixes – were a throwback to Dhoni’s days of yore. It’s a true testament that Dhoni has still got it.
Last year’s IPL would have been the perfect swansong for Dhoni, but he decided to return for ‘at least one more season’ for the fans. But Dhoni being Dhoni, you never know. This is a man who announced his retirement from Test cricket when no one saw it coming. Then, six years later, broke the internet on India’s Independence Day when he posted: ‘From 1929 hrs, consider me as retired’. Similarly, just before the start of this year’s IPL, Dhoni handed over the team’s reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad, continuing with his pattern of stunning the onlookers out of the blue.
If Dhoni retires for another hurrah, he will be a year older, and the physical challenges will be just that bit tedious compared to this year. The guy is fit – Dhoni doesn’t look a year older than 30 – but it would mean another 2-3 months of intense training and rigorous drill. For all you know, Dhoni could well have played his last for CSK… or not. Rest assured, when it’s time for Dhoni to ride into the sunset, it will be a quiet affair. It could be in two months from now… or a year, by when IPL 2025 will conclude.
