Suresh Raina wants his close friend to play IPL 2025

Former cricketer Suresh Raina wants legendary keeper-batter MS Dhoni to continue playing for Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming IPL 2025. After the 2023 edition of the competition, which CSK won by defeating Gujarat Titans on the final delivery, Dhoni announced that he will push for one more season but it depends on how his body feels. 

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Ranchi-born cricketer has remained silent about his future. Several media reports claim that the 43-year-old will decide only once the BCCI announce the retention and RTM policy ahead of the upcoming auction. As things stand, the IPL governing council is likely to finalise everything soon and announce their decision in the first week of September.

Regardless, Raina wants Dhoni to play in the cash-rich tournament. He recalled Dhoni’s charismatic batting in the last edition of the competition and added that Ruturaj Gaikwad needs more guidance.

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“I want MS Dhoni to play in IPL 2025, considering how he batted last year. I feel Ruturaj Gaikwad needs one more year, the way he captained and a lot of things were said after the loss to RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru). However, Ruturaj has done a great job,” Raina told SportsTak.

Dhoni previously clarified that he would take a call in the best interest of the team. The star cricketer has played 264 matches in the tournament and has hit 5243 runs at a strike rate of 137.53. In the 2024 edition, Dhoni batted in 11 innings and made 161 runs at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 220.54. However, he failed to help the team qualify for the playoffs. 

Meanwhile, Raina will feature in the upcoming edition of the Legends League Cricket. A couple of his former teammates - Dinesh Karthik and Shikhar Dhawan have joined the tournament this season, which is slated to begin on September 20. Jodhpur, Surat, Jammu and Srinagar will host the next edition.