In some positive news for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of their final league fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni has confirmed he will continue playing for the franchise in the 2023 edition and has no plans to call it quits after the ongoing season.
Dhoni confirmed at the toss that he will continue playing for the franchise and does not want to retire before playing at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Dhoni also hoped that the home-away format will return in 2023 which will allow him to say “Thank You” to the fans for their support over the years.
“Definitely . 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 to the CSK fans,” said Dhoni after winning the toss vs RR.
“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 added.
CSK have not played a game at their home venue of Chepauk since 2019 as COVID-19 has forced the tournament to be played within bio-bubbles. Dhoni’s future with the franchise and in the IPL has been source major speculation since his international retirement in 2023.
Two days before CSK’s first match in IPL 2022, the defending champions had announced that Jadeja will be the new captain with Dhoni stepping down from the role. The 15th edition was set to be the first time since the league’s inception in 2008 that Dhoni will not lead the team.
However, after a poor start to the season that saw them lose six of their first eight games, Dhoni returned to lead the team. However, the move has not really benefited the franchise as they crashed out of the tournament.
Ahead of Friday evening’s clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR), CSK sit on 9th place having won just 4 wins in 13 matches so far. This is only the second time in the history of the competition that they have not made the playoffs.
Prior to the 2022 mega-auction, CSK retained Jadeja (Rs. 16 crore), Dhoni (Rs. 12 crore), Moeen Ali (Rs. 8 crore,) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Rs. 6 crore).
