Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni said on Wednesday that he’ll think about his IPL future after putting in 6-8 months of hard work and seeing if his body can handle the game’s demands. Dhoni, who often sees a lot of support in yellow at every match, is aware that he’s nearing the end of his career and that fans might not know when his last game will be. That’s the love and support I’ve received over the years. Keep in mind, I’m 43 and have been playing for a long time. Many don’t know when my last year will be, so they want to come and cheer me on, he shared after CSK’s narrow win against Kolkata Knight Riders.
I only play for two months each year. Once this IPL wraps up, I’ll need to work for the next 6-8 months to see if my body can handle this kind of pressure. No decisions are being made yet, but the support I get everywhere is amazing, Dhoni added. After undergoing knee surgery in 2023, he’s been dealing with fitness issues. CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming recently noted that Dhoni can’t run at full speed for ten overs.
Dhoni acknowledged, There’s no hiding from the fact that I’m in the final phase of my career. After this IPL, I need to put in the work to see if my body can keep up. He pointed out that CSK’s win was just their third in a tough season filled with ups and downs. With their playoff chances gone, Dhoni mentioned the importance of testing the team’s depth.
There were a few things that didn’t go our way. You could get emotional about it, but we need to be practical. It’s about figuring out where the 25 players fit in. We want to be competitive and also find out which batter can play where and which bowler fits the conditions. At the start, nobody was scoring.
With CSK out of the tournament, he wants to give players a chance and see how they handle it. It’s all about the approach and mental strength. The most technically-sound batter doesn’t always score runs; it’s about awareness and being consistent.
On the other side, KKR’s hopes of qualifying are slim. Captain Ajinkya Rahane kept it straightforward, saying, It’s simple, now we need to win two out of two, and we’ll see what happens next.
