Will this be the last of MS Dhoni in the IPL?

The much anticiapted answer is out, and it’s a definite affirmation.

“Definitely, because it will be unfair to not to say thank you to Chennai. Won’t be nice to do that to CSK fans,” said Dhoni when asked about his participation in next year’s IPL at the toss of CSK’s final IPL 2022 league fixture against RR on Friday.

“Mumbai is one place, where as a team and as an individual I have got a lot of love and affection. But it wouldn’t be nice to the CSK fans. And also, hopefully next year there will be an opportunity where the teams will be travelling so it will be a like thank you to all the different places where we will be playing games at different venues. Whether it will be my last year or not that’s a big question because you know we can’t really predict about something two years down the line, but definitely I’ll be working hard to come back strong next year.”

CSK have had a tough outing at the IPL 2022, and are currently placed ninth in the points table with just four wins from 13 games. It’s only the second time in their 13 years of participation that they have failed to make into the top four. Dhoni’s willingness to continue in yellow colours has surely created a buzz among the fans, after there was a degree of uncertainty over his participation next year.

MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings has been an association unlike no other in the IPL. CSK’s most expensive pick at the inaugural auction, when he was still in his first year of international captaincy, has lived upto the expectations of the franchise and its fans since, with four IPL titles including the most recent one last year. Add two Champions League T20 titles, and CSK make for one of the most successful T20 teams there has ever been.

While it’s certain that Dhoni will continue to be an integral part of the CSK setup, there were doubts whether that’d be in a playing capacity next edition, with him turning 41 this July and being away from the cricketing action for the entire year barring the IPL.

The skills as the batter, the captain, and most importantly, the athlete have still been good enough to create an impact. Fans and commentators couldn’t stop marvelling at his incredible fitness as he battled a lone hand with an unbeaten 36 in his team’s effort of 97 all-out against the Mumbai Indians last week. Earlier in the season, which began with an unbeaten fifty against KKR, he rolled back the years with a thrilling last-over heist against MI.

He took over the reins from Jadeja mid-season after both observed that the latter wasn’t quite able to deliver his best with the added responsibility. 

Is MS Dhoni retiring?

With the 2022 campaign nearing its end, it once again throws an open question on what the future holds for Dhoni, the player. There is a sense of anticipation once again, even in the buildup to an inconsequential last-league fixture against the Rajasthan Royals on Friday.

Historically, Dhoni has always kept his cards close to his chest in terms of retirement. In a rather surprise call, he decided to call it quits from Test cricket after guiding India to a draw on a tense final day in the 2014 Boxing Day Test. That came at a point when he was 10 games and 124 runs away from completing 100 Tests and 5,000 runs in the format respectively – a distinction any cricketer would hold with high regard, let alone a wicketkeeper.

Two years later, came a cheeky response post India’s semi-final defeat to the West Indies at the T20 World Cup 2016 at home, when a query over his future as an India player was dealt with in a manner in which only Dhoni could.

The international cricket retirement call came more than a year after the heartbreaking runout in the 2019 World Cup semis against New Zealand, which was arguably the game’s decisive twist.

🔑 Key Players

🔸 Jos Buttler has not scored big in the last few matches. However, he might enjoy batting against CSK.

🔸 Devon Conway has a strike rate of 196.55 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of 3.23 vs spin in #IPL2022. Hence, he will be handy against RR today.#RRvCSK pic.twitter.com/yLeIBC7uRP

— Stat Doctor🩺 (@stat_doctor) May 20, 2022

It hasn’t been any different in the IPL too. “The Dad’s Army”, as CSK were called given their team setup in 2018, responded with an IPL triumph, before falling a run short of defending the title in 2019. 

After a disappointing 2020 campaign, there was the epic “Definitely Not” remark, which has been doing the rounds till the present day. “I still haven’t left behind,” was the response before he joined the team celebrations after winning the IPL final in Dubai last year.

With no outright candidate to take over the captaincy, there seems a fair chance of Dhoni marshalling his troops once again at the start of IPL 2023. 

Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, had earlier reflected on the possibility ahead of the CSK vs RR clash. 

“No, don’t do that at all,” Chopra said during a chat with ESPNCricinfo with reference to the ‘Thank You, Dhoni’ messages. “He might not play next year but when I, you, and everyone on social media anticipate it to happen, it will definitely not happen. So expect the unexpected. I think he’ll play the next season because the King’s heir isn’t ready yet.

“Who will you put on the throne? They might go shopping for a captain in the next auction with a different mentality. But when the captain is not ready, and given the kind of cricket they’ve played this year, I won’t be surprised to see Mahendra Singh Dhoni continue playing.”

Dhoni’s response tells us that we would see more of those towering hits, sharp stumpings, brisk running and shrewd tactics in yellow next year. Given the player and the franchise’s ability to bounce back after a tough season, it won’t come as a surprise if CSK produce another impressive show in 2023.