In a recent promotional event in Hyderabad, MS Dhoni, the iconic captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has left his fans on edge about his future in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni mentioned he would wait for the finalization of IPL 2025 player regulations and retention schemes before making any decision.
“There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court. So, once the rules and regulations get formalized, I will take a call, but it needs to be in the best interest of the team,” Dhoni stated.
Speculation about Dhoni’s future has been rampant, especially after CSK appointed Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain for IPL 2024. The team finished fifth in the tournament, failing to qualify for the playoffs. The uncertainty continues as the ten IPL teams have yet to agree on the rules for the upcoming mega auction, including player retention and the Impact Player rule.
Following a meeting with franchise owners in Mumbai, BCCI secretary Jay Shah expressed that there was constructive dialogue on various subjects. The recommendations will be forwarded to the IPL Governing Council for further evaluation.
Dhoni, who led India to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup, named Jasprit Bumrah as his favorite bowler. Bumrah, who was the Player of the Tournament in India’s recent T20 World Cup triumph, took 15 wickets in eight matches with an economy rate of 4.17.
“It’s easy to pick my favorite bowler because Bumrah is there. It’s difficult to pick a batsman because we have many good batsmen. But that doesn’t mean bowlers aren’t good,” Dhoni remarked.
When it came to batters, Dhoni refrained from choosing a favorite. “It’s difficult to pick one among batters as whomever I see batting, he looks the best. But when I see someone else, he also looks great. But as long as Team India is winning, I don’t want to pick a batter (as my favorite). I hope they will keep scoring runs for the team,” he concluded.
As the anticipation builds, fans and analysts alike eagerly await the final decisions on the IPL 2025 player regulations to see what the future holds for Dhoni and CSK.
