A lot has been speculated regarding Dhoni’s potential retirement since the beginning of the 2023 IPL season and many believe that this edition could mark his final appearance in the cash-rich league.
Though majority of his fans and even the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) management want the legendary skipper to continue in the league however, Dhoni, in the recent past, has hinted this season would be his last.
Meanwhile, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag also spoke on the Dhoni’s potential future and insisted that the Chennai charismatic skipper will either continue to play as a first-team player or will retire as he does not meet the criteria set by the Impact Player rule.
Earlier, CSK’s bowling coach Dwayne Bravo had expressed his belief that the recently introduced Impact Player rule in the IPL could contribute to the extension of Dhoni’s stay with the Yellow Brigade. However, Sehwag feels something completely different as speaking to Cricbuzz, the former opener said that Dhoni is only playing because of his captaincy and the Impact Player rule is for specific players.
“Impact Player rule doesn’t apply on MS Dhoni. Because he’s playing only for captaincy. He has to stay in the ground for captaincy. Impact Player rule is for someone who doesn’t field but bats, or a bowler who doesn’t need to bat. Dhoni has to field 20 overs; if he’s not the captain, he won’t even play as Impact Player. Then, you will see him as mentor or coach or Director of Cricket,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
Dhoni spoke on his retirement plans when he came up for chat after leading CSK a record 10th IPL final last week and said “he has ample time to decide” whether he will play another edition of IPL, adding that he will remain connected to the team, whether it be as a player or as a member of the support staff.