MS Dhoni’s future in the Indian Premier League has been the subject of much debate after the Chennai Super Kings were eliminated from the IPL 2024 playoffs. Dhoni mostly played as a lower-order finisher for his club despite concerns of a knee ailment, and after CSK lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a key match, fans and analysts began to wonder whether this was the last time the former India captain played for CSK. Wasim Akram, a legendary Pakistan pacer, commented on the situation, stating that he has a “gut feeling” that Dhoni will not return for the next season.
(On MS Dhoni’s future) I have a gut feeling he will be finished after this.
“Players like him come once in a lifetime; it all depends on him,” Akram told Sportskeeda. Earlier, former Australian cricket team batsman Matthew Hayden voiced similar comments following CSK’s loss to RCB.
“I believe this is it. I believe this will be Dhoni’s last game. It certainly won’t be the last time we see Dhoni.” I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t mentor or be a part of the CSK family in an official capacity,” Hayden told Star Sports Cricket Live.
“I believe the point is that when you reach the end of your career, whether it is the final portion of your career or not, you don’t want to see declining returns as an athlete. To begin with, he is the Chennai Super Kings’ leader, known as Thala. This tells me that there is no goal other than first place here.”
“He is feverishly using his intellect and all of his cricket knowledge. Of course, the power is there, as it has always been with MS Dhoni. At this point in the game, he consistently hits balls. At the front, you can see how players can hit it. However, it is quite difficult to smash balls from the back,” he continued.
