DHONI HOOK! CSK skipper keeps fans guessing with cheeky statements

Trust MS Dhoni to come up with an interesting quote now and then which is loaded with meaning, if you can get the drift. On Sunday night, as Chennai Super Kings closed their campaign on a winning note, whacking Gujarat Titans in their last league match of the Indian Premier League, the skipper said a few sharp things.

One quote from the CSK skipper which stood out was on the form of players. Dhoni’s quote was sharp if not vicious, when he said if form alone was the determining factor, many players would retire by the age of 22. This was a loaded statement in many ways, since Dhoni does take pot shots. His press conferences over the years have been very nuanced and he has always put team above self. Look at the way his immediate successor, Virat Kohli led India and has now stepped away from the limelight totally. Even Rohit Sharma had made his debut under Dhoni in 2013 in Kolkata.

Rewind to the quotes from Dhoni when he led India in all formats. He was dead sure, if players had to be representing India in a World Cup (ODI), they needed to have at least 100 matches under their belt as experience. This was quite some time ago, when Dhoni was leading in his last World Cup, not the 2011 edition when India triumphed in Mumbai. Dhoni believed in a process rather than instant results like the junk two-minute noodles.

Cut to present, when players make their debut at a young age and also fade away fast, Dhoni is hinting that players can last for a long time. It is hard to exactly point out who the 22-year-old is. Knowing Dhoni, he will not attack any cricketer sharply, even though current coach Gautam Gambhir has always been cribbing he never got due recognition. Was Dhoni suggesting anything on the retirements of R.Ashwin, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohi, though they are much older, one cannot say for sure.

As a player who will be 44 in July, Dhoni puts in enormous effort even now to get ready for the IPL. He has to slog on attaining fitness and keeps wickets well. Call it bad luck that Ruturaj Gaikwad went out with an elbow fracture as CSK captain. Yes, Dhoni volunteered to be captain again and led. If results were not great, by CSK standards, Dhoni or the team management are not losing sleep over it. It is what it, as the saying goes.

Another statement from Dhoni which resonated was how he felt when 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi touched his feet. “I felt old,” said Dhoni. What he meant was, for a player to touch his feet was emotional. Perhaps, it reminded Dhoni, how long he has been in Indian cricket, even if it just be the club format called IPL. Dhoni strongly defended the IPL as professional cricket, which it is.

When he said he was now looking forward to flying back to Jharkand and enjoy his bike rides, he was being his honest self. The former India captain loves bikes and enjoys rides, though not to show off. It is time he takes a break, then finds out in four months how his body has taken the load of the IPL 2025.

For those who have been speculating for years, if Dhoni has played his last match, never be sure. Indian cricket is full of intrigue. When Dhoni quit international cricket, it was minus fanfare. The same thing was seen from Ashwin, Rohit and Kohli. Going by a previous statement from the IPL 2025, Dhoni had said, even of he is on a wheelchair, the CSK team management will want him to play. The romance between Dhoni, CSK and their fans is massive. The 2026 IPL is almost a year away. So, keep guessing! That’s how MS likes to keep fans hooked.