Mahendra Singh Dhoni answered the most anticipated question of the IPL season - regarding his future in the tournament - but he didn't explicitly confirm or deny it. The soon-to-be 42-year-old captain of CSK admitted that now is the best time to retire, but he also felt that he could give his adoring fans a gift by staying for another season.
"The easy thing for me to say is thank you and retire," Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony. "But the hard thing to do is to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold up. But the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift from me to play one more season. The way they've shown their love and emotion, it's something I need to do for them."
"It started here in Ahmedabad and the full house was chanting my name. It was the same in Chennai, but it will be good to come back and play whatever I can," Dhoni added.
The IPL's return to venues all around the country for the first time since 2019, along with the expectation that Dhoni was about to retire, sparked a nationwide display of support for the CSK captain. Almost every ground had more supporters in yellow as Dhoni led CSK to yet another playoffs and eventually the final. The long-awaited reunion of the CSK captain and the Chepauk faithful saw adulation for him reach a fever pitch in Chennai - a phenomenon that even moved the otherwise poker-faced Dhoni to tears.
"You do get emotional, the first game at CSK everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water, I needed to take some time off in the dugout," Dhoni revealed. "I realized I need to enjoy this. I think they love me for what I am, they love that I am so grounded, I don't try to portray something I'm not."
CSK entered the season with a few key players in the bowling department sidelined due to injuries. Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh, the two bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming campaign in IPL 2022, were unavailable, which meant Dhoni had to rely on less experienced bowlers. It turned out to be a season for CSK where their batting depth and intent helped them make big scores and outperform opponents in most cases. The final match was no exception.
"There were lapses today, the bowling department didn't work, but it was the batting department that took the pressure off them today," Dhoni said.
While Dhoni's swansong is yet to come, another CSK batter, Ambati Rayudu, confirmed his departure on May 29 and signed off in incredible style on May 30. Rayudu, who now has six IPL titles (including those won with MI), played a brilliant cameo (19 off 8 balls) where he dismantled Mohit Sharma's change of pace and got CSK back on track in the chase before Ravindra Jadeja finished the job.
"The special thing about Rayudu is that he always gives his 100% when he is on the field," Dhoni said. "But with him on the team, I will never win the fair play award. I've been playing with him for a long time, since the India A tours. He's a player who can handle both spin and pace equally well. It's something really special. I felt he would do something really special today."
While Rayudu walks away after playing 204 IPL matches across 14 seasons, Dhoni remains unbeaten on 250... for now.
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