Former India captain MS Dhoni was recently spotted enjoying some downtime in the United States after the conclusion of IPL 2024. The cricket legend was seen spending time with friends and attending an American football game at Michigan.
A photo of Dhoni at the game went viral on social media after it was shared by one of his friends, showing the former skipper looking relaxed and happy as he posed for pictures.
The last time fans saw Dhoni in action was during the IPL 2024, in a match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). While there has been speculation about Dhoni's future in the IPL, he hasn’t made any official statements about his retirement from the league.
Will MS Dhoni play in IPL 2024?
Although the 43-year-old Dhoni hinted that his final game in Chennai may have already taken place, there's still a possibility that the 'Thala' might return for one last season.
However for that to happen the IPL 2025 guidelines is yet to be released. CSK is currently awaiting BCCI’s guidelines on player retention for the upcoming IPL season, and the team has expressed a strong interest in retaining their most successful captain, who has led them to five IPL titles.
There has also been talk about players who retired more than four years ago being classified as uncapped, but no official confirmation has been provided by the BCCI regarding this or any other retention regulations.
If Dhoni does retire ahead of IPL 2025 it remains to be seen if he's offered a mentor's role in CSK. Before the start of IPL 2024, Dhoni handed over the captaincy to Rituraj Gaikwad and guided him himself.
In such a situation, he may retire before this season and support the team as a mentor or head coach. Since last season, he has taught Ruturaj a lot, and the team’s performance under Ruturaj’s captaincy was also good. However, all these speculations remain unsubstantiated until he officially announces his retirement.
