Last update: May 03, 2023, 4:01 PM HST
MS Dhoni received a souvenir for their first game there. (Photo credit: Sportzpics)
CSK captain MS Dhoni refuses to confirm if IPL 2023 will be his last season as a player
Will MS Dhoni retire after IPL 2023? Well, the Chennai Super Kings icon once again sent social media into meltdown with a cryptic response when asked the question during the draw for his team’s clash with Lucknow Super Giants on Wednesday after -noon.
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Danny Morrison cleverly asked the two-time World Cup-winning skipper how he appreciates the overwhelming support at every venue in his final season.
It looked like Dhoni was ready.
“Obviously this wonderful swansong tour, your last. How are you enjoying it?” Morrison asked after an enthusiastic reception from fans at Ekana Cricket Stadium when Dhoni won the coin toss.
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“You decided it was my last,” replied a smiling Dhoni.
The question comes up repeatedly in every IPL season, especially since Dhoni announced his international retirement in 2020.
With the IPL being held outside the country and then restricted to one state last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, CSK were unable to play at home in Chennai for three consecutive seasons.
Last year, Dhoni said it would not be nice to retire without saying goodbye to Chennai fans at Chepauk.
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“Certainly, I will play next year. It would be unfair not to say thank you to Chennai, not to play in Chennai. It will not be pleasant for CSK fans. Whether 2023 is my last year or not, it is something you will have to see,” he said last year.
IPL 2023 is therefore considered Dhoni’s last season despite the fact that the wicket-keeper batsman did not explicitly say so.
However, he was praised by CSK owner and former BCCI chairman N Srinivasan last month ahead of a game against the Rajasthan Royals.
And a similar congratulation was also made ahead of Wednesday’s clash between LSG and CSK at Lucknow.
Dhoni is playing his first ever professional match at Ekana Cricket Stadium and to mark the occasion he received a souvenir from BCCI Vice Chairman Rajiv Shukla.
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