Dhoni to play IPL 2023: Unfair to not play in Chennai and thank fans, says CSK captain

Here is good news for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and its loyal fans. Captain MS Dhoni on Friday (May 20) confirmed that he will play in IPL 2023.

CSK, which is already out of the playoffs race in the ongoing IPL, is playing its last match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Friday night at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium.

At the toss, Dhoni was asked about his future by former West Indies paceman-turned-commentator Ian Bishop. And he confirmed that this was not his last IPL match.

“Definitely (I will play IPL 2023). It’s a simple reason: it will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you (to the fans). Mumbai is one place where, as a team and as an individual, I have got a lot of love and affection. But it wouldn’t be nice to the CSK fans,” Dhoni, who will turn 41 in July, said.

“And also, hopefully, next year there will be an opportunity where the teams will be travelling so it will be a like thank you to all the different places where we will be playing games at different venues. Whether it will be my last year or not that’s a big question, because you know we can’t really predict about something two years down the line. But definitely I’ll be working hard to come back strong next year,” he added.

Ahead of IPL 2022, Dhoni had handed over the CSK captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. However, the all-rounder quit after eight games and Dhoni was back at the helm.

Under Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK has won four IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021).