Dhoni hints at playing IPL 2022, hopes to play his farewell game in Chennai
New Delhi, Oct 5: MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Tuesday hinted that he will continue playing for the franchise for at least one more IPL season by saying that his fans can see him play a 'farewell game' in Chennai next year.
Chennai Super Kings are likely to go through a big transition phase post mega auction in 2022 and there is speculation whether MS Dhoni will be seen in yellow jersey or not.
However, the 40-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, in an event celebrating 75 years of India Cements, said that he hopes to play his last match in Chennai.
"When it comes to farewell, you can still come and see me play for CSK and that can be my farewell game. So, you will still get that opportunity to bid me farewell. Hopefully, we will come to Chennai and play my last game over there and we can meet the fans there," Dhoni said while interacting with fans during the virtual event.
The former India captain, who hung up his boots from international cricket last year, has not played in Chennai since 2019 as the 2020 edition of the cash-rich league was held in the UAE and CSK played matches in the first phase of IPL 2021 in Mumbai before it was suspended due to Covid-19.
Answering a fan's question on his decision to retire from international cricket on August 15 last year, Dhoni said "It can't be a better day than that, 15th of August."
Talking about CSK's ability to remain composed in crunch situations in big matches, Dhoni said, "We try to keep it as normal as possible. We try to prepare well by having enough sleep and prepare for the opposition we are playing against."
"We are a process-driven team and we know that if we follow the process if we execute the plans well if we do the small things right, we will get the desired result, we know the result is a byproduct and that also keeps us calm.
"We live in the moment and enjoy each other's company. We know that if we play to our potential, we can beat the opposition. If the opposition has to beat us, they have to play better cricket," he concluded.
Three-time champions Chennai Super Kings are currently sitting on the second spot with 18 points in IPL 2021.