MS Dhoni needs to play in IPL 2025, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter, Suresh Raina opined. He also said that ‘Thala’ playing one more year of IPL will help CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad as well.
Speculations are rife on whether MS Dhoni, 43, will play in the IPL 2025, given his fitness issues in the past two seasons for Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni played with an injured knee in IPL 2023, taking CSK to their 5th title. Dhoni struggled to run between the wickets and hence batted lower down the order.
Then in the IPL 2024, he relinquished the captaincy, handing the reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni suffered a hamstring tear early in the tournament and batted only in death overs. But he had to keep wickets in all of the matches, as secondary keeper Devon Conway was out due to a thumb fracture.
With his fitness in focus and BCCI yet to reveal the retention rules for the IPL 2025 mega auction, MS Dhoni has said that the franchise and he will wait and watch before making any decisions about his participation in IPL 2025.
“There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court. So, once the rules and regulations get formalized, I will take a call, but it needs to be in the best interest of the team,” said Dhoni at an event in Hyderabad.
Ruturaj Gaikwad needs MS Dhoni’s guidance for one more year: Suresh Raina on Dhoni playing in IPL 2025
Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Suresh Raina wants MS Dhoni to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, citing his batting performance in the last edition of the competition. Raina also believed that Gaikwad needed one more year to learn captaincy from MS Dhoni.
MS Dhoni played as a finisher in IPL 2024 where he scored 161 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 220.25 and his highest score was 37 not-out.
“I want MS Dhoni to play in IPL 2025, considering how he batted last year. I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad needs one more year, the way he captained and a lot of things were said after the loss to RCB. However, Ruturaj has done a great job,” Raina said to Sports Tak.
It remains to be seen what decision CSK and MS Dhoni take after the retention rules for the IPL 2025 auction are announced.
Also Read: MS Dhoni To Lead Ravichandran Ashwin’s All-time IPL 11; No Hardik Pandya