Last IPL season for MS Dhoni? Thala shuts down speculation with massive statement, ‘Even if I am in wheelchair…’

MS Dhoni has taken a dig at his critics as he shut down all rumours if him hanging up the boots anytime soon. The former India captain called CSK his franchise and noted that he will play as long as possible.

Speaking to official broadcasters JioHotstar ahead of the CSK vs MI match, Dhoni said, “I can play for as long as I want for CSK. That's my franchise. Even if I'm in a wheelchair, they'll drag me,”

MS Dhoni to play first match after a year:

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni will play his first match in over a year after last featuring in yellow jersey during IPL season 17. While Dhoni no longer captains the side as he said in the interview, CSK is his franchise and that can be felt right from the squad selection to the playing XI that goes on the field.

Dhoni's advice becomes even more valuable behind the stumps as he often predicts the batter's behaviour and gives invaluable advice to his team's bowlers.

CSK vs MI clash loading:

IPL 2025 got off to a promising start on Saturday with a high-octane clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, it is the clash between five-time IPL winners CSK and Mumbai Indians at the Chepauk that has IPL fans most excited.

Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni have captained MI and CSK respectively for a long time but this is a new era in IPL cricket where youngsters have taken over the leadership roles and the two franchises are no different.

Hardik is now leading MI's quest for a sixth IPL trophy, while Ruturaj Gaikwad is the torchbearer for CSK. With both teams boasting of fan-favourite players such as Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tiak Varma, Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, the fans are eagerly awaiting the clash.

CSK captain backs MS Dhoni:

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked about if this will be the last season for MS Dhoni to which he replied, "If you see now, even Sachin Tendulkar is batting as great as he is right now, even at the age of 50 [51]. So, I think there are still many years to go,"