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MS Dhoni has hinted at playing cricket for ‘a few more years’ and enjoying it like a child. He’ll play for CSK in IPL 2025, possibly his last season.
MS Dhoni (L) and Ruturaj Gaikwad. (Sportzpics Photo)
Legendary wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni has indicated that he could still be around for a ‘last few years’ before hanging his boots from cricket completely.
Dhoni spoke about his future during the launch of his app at an event in Mumbai on Thursday, saying that he wanted to enjoy ‘like a child’ whatever time he had left in the sport. The development comes just a month before the start of IPL 2025 where he’d play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for his fifth season since international retirement in 2019, what many think could be his last in competitive cricket.
“I’ve retired since 2019, so it will be quite some time. What I’ve been doing in the meantime is I just want to enjoy cricket for the last, whatever few years, you know, I will be able to play,” Dhoni said at the event, as quoted by PTI.
“I want to enjoy it, how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4 o’clock (in the afternoon) was sports time, so we’d go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather didn’t permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence… (but it is) easier said than done,” he added.
In a sign of his declining T20 abilities, CSK retained Dhoni for just Rs. 4 crore, a significant decrease from his IPL 2024 salary of Rs. 12 crore, after the BCCI agreed to change the rule which saw internationally retired cricketers for five years as ‘uncapped’. However, commercially for CSK as well as for his experience and input for youngsters in the team, Dhoni continues to remain as big a force as ever.
Friendships and fun can happen later: Dhoni
Dhoni also spoke about his love for the sport, and how he aligned every small life decision according to his cricketing needs.
“For me as a cricketer, I always wanted to perform for the Indian cricket team because I’ve said that in the past also, that not everybody gets a chance to represent the country,” he said.
“For us as cricketers, whenever we went on to the big stage or whenever we were touring, there was a chance for us to win laurels for the country and so for me it was the country that always came first. You always need to figure out what is good for you. When I was playing, I made sure that cricket was a whole for me — nothing else mattered. What time I had to sleep? What time I had to get up? What impact it had on (my) cricket, that was the most important thing.
“You know, all the friendships, the fun, all those [things] can happen later. There is a right time for everything and I felt if you are able to recognize that, that’s the best thing you can do (for yourself),” Dhoni concluded.
CSK’s first match of IPL 2025 will be against Mumbai Indians on March 23.
