Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni put a full stop to all speculations about his retirement from the IPL, after his team defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final of the IPL 2023 on the reserved day by 5 wickets via DLS method.
This meant CSK became five-time IPL champions, equaling the record of Mumbai Indians and MS Dhoni also equaled the record of Rohit Sharma for most IPL title wins as captain.
After the match, fans in the crowd and on TV and mobile everywhere were waiting with bated breath as MS Dhoni started his conversation with Harsha Bhogle in the post-match presentation. Everyone wanted to know about his future plans, and the legendary former India captain announced that he hasn't ruled out the possibility of coming back to play again for CSK next year, receiving a rapturous cheer from the crowd.
He said: “Circumstantially if you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say "Thank you very much", but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another 9 months and come back and play at least 1 more season of IPL. A lot depends on the body, I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it's not easy for me but that's a gift. The way they've shown their love and affection, I think that's something I need to do for them. “
Reacting to this news, Dhoni’s former India and CSK teammate Harbhajan Singh said that this was a good news for the fans.
“This is the biggest news for fans. MS Dhoni will (may) come back next year...Fans will get to witness their beloved Thala don that yellow jersey again. The expectations are going to be high from CSK next year and this team knows pretty well how to handle that pressure of expectations,” he said on Star Sports' Cricket Live.
The IPL final in 2023 was the landmark 250th match for Dhoni, and former India all-rounder and coach Ravi Shastri reckons the legacy of MSD is unparalleled.
"250 IPL matches is a tribute to MS Dhoni's fitness. No one can match the kind of legacy Dhoni is going to leave behind in this tournament. He is called Thala by the whole of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. The love and adulation a guy from Jharkhand receives down south from fans of CSK is testimony to the greatness of this cricketer,” he said.
