There are a lot of speculations around MS Dhoni’s participation in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He had stepped down as CSK’s captain two days ahead of the IPL 2022 season but was reinstated in the role once Ravindra Jadeja resigned after leading the side for 8 games.

Amid the speculations, Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has said that the veteran wicketkeeper will certainly don yellow next season but it's unclear if he leads the side or joins only as a mentor.

See Also: "If he wants to keep playing, he can," Matthew Hayden on MS Dhoni's future with CSK

Notably, Dhoni had played the role of Team India’s mentor during the T20 World Cup in UAE last year.

"I think he (Dhoni) said, 'You will definitely see me in yellow'. Whether it's a player uniform or another yellow, it remains to be seen. I do believe he will be around as a mentor. If he wasn't keen on continuing, he would not have taken the captaincy back," Gavaskar told Star Sports after the CSK-GT clash on Sunday (May 15).

"Sometimes you learn more from failures than from success. Maybe at that point in time with two more matches before Jadeja's unfortunate injury, Dhoni would have given Jadeja a couple of matches to get that sort of experience. I do believe he will be back in yellow for sure. No question about that," he further said.

Dhoni had opened up on his IPL future in the lead up to their game against SRH on April 30, which was also his first match as captain in the 2022 edition. However, the 40-year-old left a hint of curiosity in his answer.

"You will definitely see me in the yellow jersey [next year], whether this yellow jersey or some other yellow jersey, that's a different thing," Dhoni had said at the toss.

Under MS Dhoni, CSK have won four IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021. However, he decided to pass the leadership baton to Jadeja ahead of the 2022 season.

The move didn’t work out well as the defending champions lost 6 out of their 8 games under Jadeja. After Dhoni took over, CSK won two out of their five matches and they are now out of the playoffs race.

The four-time champions will take on Rajasthan Royals in their last league match on May 20.