‘No one said this would be his final year’ - Deepak Chahar on talks of MS Dhoni’s IPL retirement

There have been plenty of speculations around MS Dhoni's retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the 2023 season. Notably, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has already started gearing up for the 16th edition of the tournament. 

Meanwhile, both former and current CSK players have backed Dhoni for playing longer, stating he is fit to play in the coming IPL seasons as well. The latest one to comment is Indian pacer Deepak Chahar. Chahar was asked in a recent interaction, “MS Dhoni will play in his last IPL. You saw him practice. How is his batting going on?”

The right-armer has had an impressive reply stating no one said that this will be Dhoni’s last IPL season. The 30-year-old also said that even the Legendary cricketer himself did not give any update regarding this yet.

“No one has said that this would be his final year. At least, he hasn’t. Hopefully, he will play more. We don’t know any such thing, we want him to play as much as he can,” Chahar told News India Sports, 

“He knows when to retire, we saw it when he did in Tests and international cricket. No one else knows. I just hope he continues to play, it’s a privilege to play under him. It has been a dream to play with him. He’s in good touch as well, you will see that when he bats in the IPL this year,” he added.

MS Dhoni can continue to play for the next three to four years: Shane Watson

Earlier, former Australia and CSK batter Shane Watson said that MS Dhoni is fit enough to play the IPL for the next 3-4 years. He reckoned that the CSK skipper still has batting and wicketkeeping skills. The 41-year-old also said that Dhoni is one of the reasons that CSK is a successful franchise.

"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 said.

CSK will play the IPL opener against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) on March 31 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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