The excitement for the upcoming cash-rich 16th edition of the Indian Premier League is palpable. Fans of Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni, who will not be able to see their beloved “Thala” in action for the remainder of the year, experience a different level of excitement.
The Chennai Super Kings didn’t make the playoffs for the second time in their glorious history, which was a tough run for them. Fans of CSK will expect the men in yellow to perform better this time around, and they will rely on Dhoni to steer the ship in the right direction.
However, there has also been a lot of talk about whether this will be Dhoni’s last season, as has been the case for the past few years. At the conclusion of IPL 2023, MS Dhoni should retire for three reasons:
an opportunity to retire in Chennai
MS Dhoni has made it clear that he wants to play his final Twenty20 match in Chennai, but due to Covid-19, that was not possible between 2020 and 22. To reduce the likelihood that teams would be affected by Covid-19, the BCCI staged the IPL outside of India or in a small number of centers in India for three years.
Since the IPL has returned to its traditional home-away format, Chennai Super Kings will play a lot of games at the M. Chidambaram Stadium in the city. As a result, after a game in Chennai, Dhoni has the perfect opportunity to retire from the IPL.
Recently hasn’t been in great shape.
MS Dhoni has played 44 games for the Chennai Super Kings since 2020, but he has only scored 546 runs. In the past three seasons, he has only scored fifty goals, and his strike rate is also very low. The runs for “captain cool” have clearly stopped, and there is a rumor that he is still on the team because of his exceptional leadership abilities. Dhoni’s fans and CSK will hope he has a successful season with the bat and can celebrate his retirement in style.
Auction value
The IPL contract that MS Dhoni has with Chennai Super Kings is worth Rs. 15 crore, which is a significant sum. Dhoni’s performances in recent years have not been in line with his salary, which is fair to say. In terms of CSK’s budget, Dhoni’s retirement at the end of IPL 2023 would free up a significant amount of money. CSK will eventually be able to invest in one or more players who could become franchise icons thanks to this.