IPL 2023: Dhoni Breaks Silence on Retirement Speculations

CSK wins their fifth IPL title in a thrilling final thanks to Jadeja’s heroics. Dhoni discusses retirement and his plans for the upcoming season.

Chennai Super Kings defeated Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in the IPL 2023 finals to capture their fifth IPL title. CSK now has the same number of championships as Mumbai Indians. Despite the fact that MS Dhoni was dismissed for a golden duck on the night of the finals, he could not have a fairytale ending. Ravindra Jadeja emerged as the ‘Men in Yellow’ hero, scoring 10 runs off the final two balls. He hit a six on the penultimate ball, then a four on the final ball. Here’s what MS Dhoni had to say about his retirement.

Harsha Bhogle during the post-match conference asked Dhoni, “I asked you when you last won a trophy, about the legacy you leave behind in CSK. You said ‘I haven’t left it behind yet.”

MS Dhoni in response said that he has 6-7 months to decide on his future in the IPL. Dhoni said, “Looking for an answer? 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.”

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Dhoni even mentioned the IPL 2023 opener versus Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium. He admitted that hearing the fans sing his name brought tears to his eyes. It was something he would hear frequently during the season, since wherever Dhoni and CSK went this season, their fans followed them. A sea of yellow greeted supporters at away games at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as they bid farewell to the iconic cricketer.

MS Dhoni said, “You do get emotional simply because it’s the last part of my career, it started over here and the first game when I walked down everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water and I just stood there in the dugout for a while. I realised I want to enjoy this. It was the same thing in Chennai, it was my last game over there but it will be good to come back and play whatever I can. I think they love me for what I am, they love that I am so grounded, I don’t try to portray something I’m not. Just keep it simple.”

MS Dhoni set a new record yesterday by becoming the first cricketer to appear in 250 IPL matches.

Also Read: IPL 2023: Celebrities Pour in Congratulations as CSK Clinches 5th IPL Title (cricfiles.com)

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