Dhoni is 'special', his 'powerful presence' important for CSK, IPL: Sunil Joshi

MS Dhoni continues to hold sway over the Indian Premier League (IPL). Sunday night (March 31) was another instance where the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) former captain gave plenty of reasons for his fans to celebrate.

Though CSK lost their IPL 2024 match to Delhi Capitals (DC) on Sunday, fans celebrated Dhoni’s vintage knock of 37 not out from 16 balls with four fours and three sixes.

Vintage Dhoni

Dhoni was there till the end of CSK’s chase but despite his superlative knock, the team fell short by 20 runs.

The 42-year-old Dhoni has played in every season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since its inception in 2008. Into his 17th year of the lucrative Twenty20 tournament, there is speculation that IPL 2024 could be his last as a player.

Ahead of this year’s IPL, Dhoni handed over the CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni’s decision to step down was made official just one day before the start of IPL 2024.

While Dhoni’s fans want him to keep playing the IPL, it is still not confirmed whether would be available as a player for IPL 2025. Dhoni doesn’t play any other cricket apart from IPL and his last match for India was five years ago – in 2019 in the ICC World Cup in England where ‘Men in Blue’ lost to New Zealand in the semifinal.

Is this Dhoni's last season?

Recently, in an exclusive chat with The Federal, Punjab Kings (PBKS) spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi said Dhoni has a “powerful presence” not for CSK but for the whole IPL, and felt it is always tough for a player to decide on when to retire from the game.

“It is up to the individual to decide (on retirement). MS (Dhoni) has already achieved what he wanted to – winning trophies for India and Chennai Super Kings. Just him being there, not only for CSK but for the whole of IPL, is a powerful presence,” former India all-rounder Joshi told The Federal before the start of IPL 2024 last month.

Joshi lauded Dhoni’s fitness and said everybody needs to respect the wicketkeeper-batter’s decision whenever he makes it official.

“It all depends on his body. In fact, he looks so fit. It is always very tough for a player to decide when to call it a day. There are always questions one asks himself – ‘Is it the right time to leave the game on a high’ or ‘Should I win one more title?’ And MS is a special player for not just the whole of India but the entire cricket world. Nobody knew when he decided to quit Tests, and later white ball formats for India. It is his personal decision and we should respect what he does,” Joshi added.

Under Dhoni’s leadership, CSK have won a joint record of five IPL titles. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) are the only two captains to have led their sides to five IPL trophies.