MS Dhoni breaks silence on IPL retirement

Chennai Super Kings talisman MS Dhoni has addressed his retirement rumours in the latest podcast. Rumours were rife about Dhoni calling time on his Indian Premier League career when his parents were seen in the stands of the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, April 5.

Further, eagle-eyed viewers spotted MS Dhoni's wife Sakshi telling their daughter Ziva the words "last match," which further added to the speculation of the legend calling time on his career. However, in a new podcast with Raj Shamani, Dhoni addressed the retirement rumours and reassured the fans that he was not calling time on his career at the end of this season.

Dhoni explained that he would give his body 8 months to see if he would still be able to play at the age of 44. If his body seems fine enough by the start of the season, he would add one year at a time till he decides to call it quits from the competition.

"No, not right now. I am still playing the IPL. I have kept it very simple, I take it one year at a time, I am 43 and by the time IPL 2025 finishes, I will be 44, so after that, I have 10 months to decide if I will play or not. But it is not me deciding, it is my body that decides. So, one year at a time, we will see after that," MS Dhoni said in the podcast.

After Chennai's match against Delhi Capitals, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming was asked the same question by the press. Fleming had said that he did not chat to Dhoni about retirement anymore. “I have no idea. I’m just enjoying working with him still. He is still going strong. I don’t even ask [about his future] these days,” Stephen Fleming said after the match.

Ahead of IPL 2025, Dhoni stated at an event that he simply wants to keep enjoying cricket for as long as circumstances allow. “I want to enjoy it, as I did in childhood when I was in school. I lived in a colony, 4 p.m. was sports time, so we’d go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather doesn’t permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence (but it is) easier said than done,” he added.