MS Dhoni, mercurial Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, has given his thoughts on whether he will play in IPL 2025 or not.
The 43-year-old Dhoni, whose IPL 2024 season ended in a group-stage exit earlier this year, stated his return to the field with CSK would be determined by the BCCI and IPL governing council's guidelines for the next IPL 2025 auction.
“There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court. So, once the rules and regulations get formalized, I will take a call, but needs to be in the best interest of the team,” Dhoni said as he answered a fan’s question during a promotional event.
On Wednesday, the BCCI met with all ten IPL franchise owners in Mumbai to establish the protocols and standards for the upcoming auction. Teams are divided on the amount of player retentions and the need for another big auction in such a short period of time.
The Indian Express believes that the majority of the teams that have participated in the tournament since its beginning are interested in consistency and have made a solid case for holding the big auctions every four or five years. With the mood among the franchises obvious, it is now up to the BCCI to make a decision.
At the same event, MS Dhoni also talked about the viral “Thala for a Reason” trend on social media. The trend 'Thala for a reason' basically means associating Dhoni's jersey number 7 to every good thing that happens.
Number 7 has always been associated to Dhoni and fans somehow manage to bring a mathematical equation of every event to seven and hence, claiming 'Thala for a reason'.
This obsession and trend among fans stems not just from his cricketing abilities, but also from his leadership, humility, and the emotional connection he has developed over the years.
The good news for supporters is that Thala Dhoni has personally approved of this social media fad. The 43-year-old thanked the supporters for turning out in his support and sticking by him through thick and thin.
"I myself was not aware of this trend. I got to know about it via Instagram. So, I am grateful to my fans. I don't have to defend myself on social media. I never need to come out and say anything on social media or Instagram. Whenever needed, my fans do it for me. Whenever needed, they praise me.
So I am not required to do anything. I guess this was part of that too as well. So I am very grateful to my fans. Even though I am not very active on social media. Still they just wait for me to post and they just love it,” Dhoni said.
