New Delhi: Amid speculations over his future in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the legendary MS Dhoni on Sunday opened up on his fitness struggles and dropped a massive hint on his retirement. Dhoni said his body is ‘surviving’ as he is in the last stage of his career during the toss ahead of the clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
Dhoni’s future remains subject to intense speculation amid CSK’s woeful run in the ongoing IPL 2025. The five-time champions are currently reeling at the bottom of the table with just three wins from 13 matches and set to finish last unless they manage to beat Gujarat Titans by a huge margin in the last game of the season on Sunday.
Dhoni, who is yet to decide on his IPL future, was asked about his fitness by Ravi Shastri during the toss. The CSK skipper said his body is ‘surviving’ while admitting that he is in the last phase of his career. The legendary wicket-keeper batter also thanked CSK’s support staff for making life easier for him by helping him maintain his fitness.
“It’s surviving. Every year, it’s a new challenge, especially, when you are at the last stage of the career. You need maintenance. It didn’t trouble me when I was playing international cricket. But thanks to the support staff as well,” Dhoni told Shastri.
While Dhoni has not opened on his potential retirement from the IPL, it has been reported that the final decision to quit is with the wicket-keeper batter. The Chennai Super Kings management is also not aware of Dhoni’s plans, and the skipper will take a call in the next few months. Earlier, Dhoni’s former CSK teammate Suresh Raina had said that the 43-year-old will return to play for the Men in Yellow in IPL 2026.
MS Dhoni stepped in for Ruturaj Gaikwad
Dhoni, who stepped down from captaincy ahead of IPL 2024 last year, had to return as captain of the Chennai Super Kings midway through IPL 2025 due to an injury to regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad led CSK in their first six matches before getting ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to an injury.
CSK lost five of their first six matches under Gaikwad and were expected to bounce back strong under Dhoni. However, they failed to do so as the team’s struggles in batting and bowling were left exposed. CSK were the first team to bow out of the race for the playoffs and set to finish 10th on the points table after a disastrous season.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni opened up on his fitness struggles and dropped a massive hint on his IPL future amid speculations regarding his retirement. IPL Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
