CSK captain MS Dhoni provided an update on his potential retirement following the Chennai Super Kings’ fifth victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which came after they defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
When asked about his future plans, Dhoni responded that while “circumstantially” retiring now was a wise decision, he had made the decision to prepare and attempt to participate in the upcoming season for the next nine months as a “gift” to his supporters for their support and love.
“Consequentially, this is the best time for me to announce my retirement, but the amount of love and affection that I have been shown, wherever I have been this year…,” Dhoni remarked after the game. The simple thing to say, in my opinion, would be “Thank you very much,” but the difficult thing for me would be to work hard for nine months, return, and participate in at least one more IPL season.
However, he said, “a lot depends on the body”.
“It would take 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side. It’s not easy for me but the way they have shown their love and affection, that’s something that I need to do,” he said.
He further shared how overwhelmed he was during the season when he saw how much fans adored him.
“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. Just keep it simple. Every trophy is special, but what is special about IPL is every crunch game you need to be ready [for],” the Indian cricket sensation shared.
Since neither the Gujarat Titans nor bad weather could prevent CSK from tying Mumbai Indians, their arch-rivals, for the most IPL trophy wins, Dhoni, who has been a fan favorite throughout the recently concluded tournament, finished the season by captaining his team to a record-leveling fifth trophy.
Given that the entire IPL and even the tournament finale was nothing short of Dhoni-mania, it will be interesting to see whether Dhoni will actually return to IPL to lead CSK next year or not.