How long is Dhoni expected to play for CSK in IPL? CEO opens up

Following a 16-year-long glorious career, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on Saturday, August 15. Millions of fans across the world were left heartbroken but gracefully accepted his departure and have expressed hopes of seeing the wicketkeeper-batsman yet again on field in the upcoming editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

While the legendary cricketer is all set to participate in the 13th edition of the IPL scheduled to begin on September 19 in UAE, Chennai Super Kings chief executive Kasi Viswanathan said he was confident that Dhoni would not be retiring from the premier league anytime soon. “We don’t worry about him at all. Yes, we can expect MS Dhoni to be part of both (IPL seasons in 2020 and 2021) and probably for even the next year, 2022,” Viswanathan had earlier said. Following his decision to retire from international cricket, the CEO stated that the decision took him by complete surprise. “He has quit international cricket only. He is going to play for CSK. We want him to play for us as long as he wants. The decision to retire from international cricket was typical of Dhoni. But we don’t interfere with him when it comes to cricketing decisions. However, we certainly hope that he doesn’t take a decision like that and quit CSK. The practice started around 4:30 pm and Dhoni finished around 7:00 and went back to the dressing room. Half an hour later, I received a text from our owner N Srinivasan, asking me to check whether the news was correct. I confronted Dhoni when he returned from the dressing room and he confirmed the news,” he said.

“His decision completely took us by surprise but he showed no emotions. He was as cool and calm as ever. The Indian team and CSK have achieved success over the years under Dhoni’s captaincy because there was clarity in his thoughts. On Saturday, too, I could see the same clarity in his decision,” the CSK official concluded.