‘MS Dhoni can play for the next three to four years’ – says former CSK teammate Shane Watson

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will revert to the home-and-away format after three years. The opening match will see defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) hosting Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Meanwhile, there has been a lot of speculation that this might be Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s last IPL season.

Former Australia and CSK star Shane Watson come up with an impressive comment regarding Dhoni’s retirement from the T20 format. Watson who is currently taking part in Legends League Cricket (LLC) in Doha, said that Dhoni is fit to play for the next 3 to 4 years. He reckoned that the CSk skipper’s leadership quality is equal to the game he plays.

"I heard that this is the last IPL of MS Dhoni but I don't think. MS Dhoni can continue to play for the next three to four years. He is still very fit and batting and wicket-keeping really well. His leadership is something that is as good as his game. His fitness and mind-reading of the game make him a good leader. His skills on the ground are awesome. He is one of the main reasons that CSK is successful," Watson told ANI.

'Dhoni can play the IPL next year as well' - Former CSK teammate Suresh Raina confident of the legendary skipper's participation

Earlier, the former India and CSK batter Suresh Raina too had said that MS Dhoni can play in the next IPL season as well. Backing his commitments and prime fitness, Raina sounded about Dhoni's possible participation next year as well.

“I wish he could, but we'll have to see what his commitments are, He can play the IPL next year as well, you never know. He's been batting well and looking fit, it depends on how the performance is this year,” said Raina. 

The 2022 IPL season was terrible for CSK as they finished second from the bottom of the points table. However, individually it was a better season for MS Dhoni as he scored his first half-century in the IPL since 2019. The 41-year-old has amassed 232 runs at a strike rate of 123.40 and an average of 33.14 last season.

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