“Some of them will retire at the age of 22” - MS Dhoni opens up on his IPL retirement

Chennai Super Kings stand-in captain MS Dhoni has finally opened up on his IPL retirement after the team’s last league game against the Gujarat Titans, which CSK won by 83 runs quite comfortably.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Dhoni revealed that he will have the luxury of time to come up with the final decision on his retirement ahead of the next IPL season. Notably, at least four to five months are left before the next auction

“It (whether he will play next season) depends. I have 4-5 months to decide, there's no hurry to decide what needs to be done. Every year it's 15% more effort to keep the body fit. You have to be at your best, this is top level cricket. It's professional cricket. It's not always performance you can count,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation.

“If cricketers start retiring because of their performances, some of them will retire at the age of 22. What is important to see is how much hunger you have and how fit you are. How much you can contribute to the team. Whether the team needs you or not, so I have enough time. Will go back to Ranchi. I haven't been home for a while, so I will enjoy a few bike rides and then decide. I am not saying I am done, not saying I am coming back at the same time. I have the luxury of time. Will think about it and then decide,” he added.

Moreover, Dhoni also stressed on making a few errors in the initial few games of the season, which cost the team victories and eventually the playoff spot in the IPL 2025 season. Notably, this was the first time CSK ended at the bottom spot in the standings in league’s history. 

“When we started the season, the first four games were in Chennai out of the first six games. We decided to bat second because of the dew, but I felt the wicket was good for batting in the first innings. We batted under pressure in the second innings and that confidence got sucked away from the batters and it became slightly difficult,” he stated.

“I was worried about the batting department because at the end of the day you have to score runs. Not everybody is contributing. We can put runs on the board, but there are few holes we would like to fill. One of the most important things was when Ruturaj comes back next season, he doesn't need to worry about too many things. He needs to maybe fit in one role from the eleven,” he concluded.

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