MS Dhoni has once again triggered retirement speculations with his latest move hinting that the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) could be his last dance. The 18th edition of IPL will start from March 22 and Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) launch their campaign the next day against heavyweights Mumbai Indians.
If we look at the previous editions, a wave of yellow always assembled at the stadiums Dhoni graced and scenes are expected to be the same this season as well. However, the inevitable, which is calling it quits, appears on Dhoni's mind, given his coded message printed on his t-shirt.
Dhoni arrived in Chennai on Wednesday to start his preparations for the 18th edition of the cash-rich T20 league. But what created a storm on social media was Dhoni's t-shirt featuring a Morse code. When fans tried to decode the message, it read: "One last time". Here are a few reactions:
Dhoni goes into the season as an uncapped player after the IPL body made some changes in the rule for player retention. As per the rule any player, who is yet to make his international debut irrespective of any format, falls under the list of uncapped players category. In addition any Indian cricketer, who has international experience but hasn't been part of the starting XI in an international fixture (T20Is, Tests or ODIs) in the last five years or does not have a central contract with BCCI, also falls under this bracket.
The rule change allowed CSK to retain their most successful skipper for Rs 4 crore.
During a recent interaction with media, the former India captain expressed that he wants to play his remaining cricket like a "child".
"I've retired since 2019, so it will be quite some time. What I've been doing in the meantime is I just want to enjoy cricket for the last, whatever few years, you know, I will be able to play," said Dhoni. "I want to enjoy it, how I did as a child when I was in school. When I lived in a colony, 4 o'clock (in the afternoon) was sports time, so we'll go and play cricket more often than not. But if the weather doesn't permit, we used to play football. I want to play with the same kind of innocence… (but it is) easier said than done," the gloveman added.
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