A CSK official has confirmed InsideSport that it will be Dhoni’s last season and as per schedule, if the Super Kings do not make the playoffs – the match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk on May 14 would be his last.
Mumbai: MS Dhoni may have stopped playing international cricket, but his popularity and stocks have not dipped. He still commands a massive fanbase and is treated as a demi-god in India and looked at as an ambassador of the game globally. A CSK official has confirmed InsideSport that it will be Dhoni’s last season and as per schedule, if the Super Kings do not make the playoffs – the match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Chepauk on May 14 would be his last.
“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.
Ben Stokes was lapped up by CSK at the auction and that gave a clear indication that it would be Dhoni’s last season in yellow and in IPL.
“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.
Chennai Super Kings IPL 2023 squad: MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.
