Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final Indian Premier League (IPL) match for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) may or may not have happened, depending on rumors circulating about his retirement. When asked about Dhoni’s future, former Australian opener Matthew Hayden said he would be shocked if the player left the CSK family, either as a mentor or in another formal role.
Last Thursday, the CSK and MS Dhoni participated in their last IPL 2024 league stage match at the M. Stadium Chinnaswamy.
Bengaluru and Chennai were vying for fourth place in the points table in this high-stakes match. Even though the visitors gave it their all, the RCB team prevailed, winning by a margin of 27 runs.
Many are asking whether that is how MS Dhoni’s IPL career ended because the match’s outcome did not go in CSK’s favor. Following Chennai’s elimination from the tournament, the former captain of the franchise—who won the championship in 2023—seemed to be annoyed. Due to a subpar net run rate of +0.392, the five-time champions completed this season in fifth place with 14 points, missing out on the top 4.
“This will be the last time that Dhoni will play”- Matthew Hayden
The iconic Australian opener Matthew Hayden believes that Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s IPL career is over, but he also hinted that Dhoni may wear the yellow jersey again the following year, albeit in a different capacity. The title defense of Dhoni’s squad came to an end on Saturday when they were defeated by Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He was unable to lead his side to the IPL 2024 playoffs.
“I think this is it. I do believe that this will be the last time that Dhoni plays. Certainly, this won’t be the last time that we see Dhoni. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t mentor or be a part of the family of CSK in an official capacity.” – Matthew Hayden said this via Star Sports.
“He’s desperately using his brains—all of that cricket knowledge. And of course, the power is there, and that’s always been MS Dhoni. He’s always hit balls at this stage of an inning. At the front, you can understand how players can hit it. But at the back, it’s really hard to hit balls.” Hayden concluded.
The reigning champions had to save themselves from an 18-run loss against RCB, but at M Chinnaswamt Stadium, they were outmatched and lost the tie by 27 runs. In the final over, Dhoni gave the visiting fans some hope by fighting valiantly, but he was removed.
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