It seems as if Mahendra Singh Dhoni is in no mood to retire from the Indian Premier League (IPL) anytime soon.
Though speculation is rife that IPL 2023 will be the last edition of the cash-rich league for Dhoni as a player, the Captain Cool refused to confirm his retirement during the toss of Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) fixture against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Wednesday.
Following a query by Danny Morrison about how his last season in the league is going, the CSK captain gave a cheeky response.
Morrison asked Dhoni, “How you are enjoying your last season?”
In reply, Dhoni said with a laugh, “You have decided that it’s my last season, not me.”
Following Dhoni’s answer, Marrison then announced to the crowd that Dhoni is coming back in 2024 as both of them shared a good laugh.
Several fans and experts suspected that IPL 2023 is going to be Dhoni’s last season as he continues to play despite a knee injury.
Earlier after CSK’s win over KKR, Dhoni had also hinted that the 2023 season of IPL will be his last. He also stated that the Kolkata crowd is giving him a farewell.
“I will just say thanks for the support, they came in big numbers. Most of these guys will come in a KKR jersey next time. They are trying to give me a farewell, so thanks a lot to the crowd,” Dhoni had said at the Eden Gardens.
Notably, Dhoni has led CSK to the title on four different occasions during his illustrious career. CSK are in a good position to qualify for the playoffs in the ongoing edition of the cash-rich league.
The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman retired from international cricket in 2020. Now, he is playing only in IPL.