Former India captain and CSK veteran MS Dhoni shared that age is not a concern in the IPL, allowing him to continue playing at 43. However, he emphasized that he dedicates six to eight months of rigorous preparation for the tournament, the world’s biggest T20 league.
Dhoni has participated in every IPL season since its inception in 2008. During CSK’s two-year suspension, he played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) before returning to lead Chennai. Having guided CSK to five titles, he passed the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024.
Ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction, CSK retained MS Dhoni as an uncapped player for ₹4 crore. Speaking at a Garuda Aerospace event in Mumbai on February 21, he discussed his ability to compete in the IPL despite retiring from international cricket in 2019. As quoted by PTI, he stated:
“I only play a couple of months in a year, but I want to enjoy it the way I started playing, that’s something that keeps me going. But, of course, for that, I need to put in a lot of hard work for six to eight months because IPL is one of the toughest tournaments. Nobody really cares about how old you are. If you’re playing at this level, the level needs to be the same.”
Life lessons ft. MS Dhoni ❤️
(Can never get enough of him) pic.twitter.com/ifJECb9UYi
— Dipti (@cricharchein) February 21, 2025
“My greatest motivation was playing for my country”- MS Dhoni
Looking back on his illustrious career, Dhoni shared that representing his country was always his biggest motivation. He added that after retiring from international cricket, he continues to play purely for his love of the game. The former skipper stated:
“When I started playing international cricket, for me the biggest motivation was representing my country. It has always been the country for me because coming from where I came, not known for cricket as a state, once I got a chance I wanted to contribute, I wanted to be part of a winning team that was trying to win each and every game.”
“For me, my biggest motivation was that contribution to make India win. Now that I’ve retired from international cricket, I can’t say it’s the same, but for me now, it’s the love for the sport. It’s hard work, but for me now, enjoying the game is the key aspect,” the 43-year-old added.
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