Five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings' heartbreaking exit from Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, following their defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Saturday (May 18), has sparked speculations among fans and cricket pundits about whether this was legendary wicket-keeper batter MS Dhoni's final IPL match.
Meanwhile, CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanath has disclosed that the team management remains uncertain about MS Dhoni's future.
"He has not told us anything. He does not tell us such things anyway. He just decides," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
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Two-time World Cup winning skipper MS Dhoni has a history of surprising fans with sudden decisions. One notable instance was when the former India captain made the unexpected announcement of retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2019.
MS Dhoni's fitness has been a concern, with reports indicating ongoing knee pain throughout IPL 2024 season. Despite this, the 42-years-old continued to keep wickets, playing through discomfort.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming and several team members have acknowledged Dhoni's perseverance despite the constant pain.
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For Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2024, veteran Dhoni mainly came out to bat towards the latter stages of the innings. Across 11 innings, the seasoned star scored 161 runs with a blistering strike rate of 220.54 and a remarkable average of 53.66.
"The way he batted, he can surely continue. But it will be up to him," Viswanathan said.
Ambati Rayudu, former CSK player, feels CSK vs RCB match wasn't the final match of MS Dhoni's IPL career as a player.
"I don’t think this is his last game. I just don’t see him wanting to end on this note. He looked a little frustrated, even when he got out. That’s very unlike MS Dhoni, he just wanted to qualify and finish on a high. But you never know with MS Dhoni, he might come back next year," Rayudu said on Star Sports.