Former India captain, Sunil Gavaskar, welcomed MS Dhoni's choice to play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2023 on Friday (May 20), adding that if the competition is played in a home-and-away format, the CSK skipper will be able to thank his fans across the country.
Dhoni confirmed that he will play for CSK in the IPL 2023, putting an end to all speculations over his future in the league. He remarked that it would be unfair to the Chennai fans if he left without playing in front of the Chepauk crowd.
If the IPL returns to a home-and-away format next year, the 40-year-old also stated that he will look to thank supporters across the country. The 2020 edition of the league and the 2nd half of the last season were played out in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Gavaskar while speaking to Star Sports said that the Ranchi cricketer has taken India to unprecedented heights.
“I think it’s a wonderful thing. Like he explained, he wants to say thank you to all those who have supported his team and him, not necessarily CSK, he has been captain of India, he has taken India to the heights unseen before,” he said.
“Next year, hopefully, it will be a kind of home and away situation. There are 10 teams, so he will be able to able to say goodbye to every 10 venues.”
“Sometimes, we actually see some franchises want to maybe take another venue as their home ground. Ranchi could be a home ground. These things can happen, which means he gets the opportunity to say thank you to pretty much the whole of India,” he added.
The wicketkeeper-batter stepped down as the captain and handed it to Ravindra Jadeja. After a poor start to the season, the all-rounder stepped down, and the captaincy was handed back to the man who led them to four titles.
Dhoni also stated that he is unsure whether next year will be his final season with the Super Kings, stating that two years is a long time to commit to anything and that he will strive hard to return stronger next year.
“Well, I think, definitely, It’s a simple reason. It will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you. Mumbai is one place where, as a team and as an individual, I have got a lot of love and affection. But, you know it won’t be nice to the CSK fans,” he said while responding to West Indies great and presenter Ian Bishop at the toss ahead of the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR).
“And also, hopefully, next year the teams will get an opportunity to travel, so it will be like a thank 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 added.
Apart from the IPL, the Ranchi cricketer has not played competitive cricket since retiring from international cricket in August 2020.
(INDIA TODAY INPUTS)
