MS Dhoni has returned to Chennai, and the fans in the city couldn’t be happier. Chennai’s players have begun preparing for the upcoming season of the Indian T20 League 2023. In the season opener, defending champions Gujarat will face four-time champions Chennai. Dhoni and his team have begun sweating it out in the nets at Chepauk ahead of the contest.
While the team has started their preparations, fans have been left with the puzzle of Dhoni’s future in the tournament. A recent statement from Dhoni’s Chennai teammate and fast bowler Deepak Chahar has added to the drama.
During an interaction with News India Sports, Chahar was asked, “MS Dhoni will play in his last IPL. You saw him practice. How is his batting going on?” Chahar’s response to the question has dropped a major hint at Dhoni’s future.
“No one has said that this would be his final year. At least, he hasn’t. Hopefully, he will play more. We don’t know any such thing, we want him to play as much as he can,” Chahar replied.
“He knows when to retire, we saw it when he did in Tests and international cricket. No one else knows. I just hope he continues to play, it’s a privilege to play under him. It has been a dream to play with him. He’s in good touch as well, you will see that when he bats in the IPL this year,” Chahar further said.
Fans have been curious about the former Indian captain’s Indian T20 League future since the end of his international career. “Definitely not,” he exclaimed when asked if 2020 would be his final season by broadcaster Harsha Bhogle. The following year, he led Chennai to another title win, but the team fell apart again in 2022.
It will be unfair to not play in Chennai: MS Dhoni
Dhoni stated that he would return in 2023 to personally thank fans in Chennai, as the tournament will be played in 12 different cities. “It’s a simple reason: it will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you [to the fans]. 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 for 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,” he had added.
