MS Dhoni gives interesting take on his IPL future, says he can play as long as he wants for CSK

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni has opened up on his future in the Indian Premier League. Dhoni, 43, is still going strongly in the lucrative tournament and said he would play for CSK as long as he wants.

Dhoni had scored 161 runs in 11 innings at an average of 53.67 and a blistering strike rate of 220.54 in IPL 2024. Ergo, Dhoni would look to replicate the same performance in IPL 2025 and once again deliver for the franchise, which is very close to his heart.

Dhoni jokingly said CSK will back him in their squad even if he is in a wheelchair.

Speaking to JioHotstar, Dhoni said, “I can play for as long as I want for CSK. That’s my franchise. Even if I’m in a wheelchair, they’ll drag me.”

IPL 2025 is expected to be Dhoni’s last season in the tournament but he is yet to make any official statement regarding his future.

On the other hand, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said Dhoni is in better shape as compared to last year and looks fitter.

The former New Zealand captain said in a video uploaded by CSK on their social media account, “Benjamin Button of cricket! He’s getting younger. He’s done everything well. He is probably fitter than last year, just given his comeback from a knee surgery. Yeah he is 43, which we have to respect but there’s ways in which we can use him which we think is very beneficial to us winning games. There’s no doubt he has still got the talent and he’s got the drive which are two of the main things.”

CSK will play their opener against arch-rivals MI on Sunday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.