'Gift from me" - MS Dhoni confirms he will play IPL next year
The retirement question has been posed to MS Dhoni since the 2019 IPL, and on every occasion, he expressed his intention to continue captaining the Super Kings
After Chennai Super Kings (CSK) secured their fifth title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, MS Dhoni confirmed that he had no plans to retire from the Indian Premier League. Dhoni acknowledged that it would have been an easier decision to announce his retirement, but opted for the more challenging choice of returning to lead CSK in 2024.
The retirement question has been posed to MS Dhoni since the 2019 IPL, and on every occasion, he expressed his intention to continue captaining the Super Kings. This year, fans paid homage to MS Dhoni at every venue, fueling speculation about his future.
During the tournament, former CSK star Suresh Raina disclosed that MS Dhoni had confided in him about winning the IPL this season and playing for another year. When Harsha Bhogle asked MS Dhoni the question directly, the CSK captain put all speculation to rest.
'Gift from me" - MS Dhoni confirms he will IPL next year
Speaking on the sidelines of the IPL 2023 final, Dhoni said, "Looking for an answer? Circumstantially, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love I have received all over. The easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be working hard for 9 months and try to play another IPL."
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The CSK skipper further added, "It would be a gift from me, won't be easy on the body. You do get emotional, the first game at CSK everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water, I needed to take some time off in the dugout. I realised I need to enjoy this. I think they love me for what I am, they love that I am so grounded, I don't try to portray something I'm not."
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