Dhoni drops major hint about his Indian Premier League future

India star MS Dhoni has dropped a massive hint about his future in the Indian Premier League.

The former Indian cricketer attended an event in Bengaluru on Thursday where he revealed that he was undergoing rehabilitation after knee surgery and should recover well in time for IPL 2024.

Dhoni has captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL titles, the same as Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI).

When CSK won the record-equalling fifth IPL title earlier this year, Dhoni had a lingering knee injury. Dhoni, who underwent the operation following a successful tournament, on Thursday disclosed that he was not experiencing any complications and was well on the road to full recovery.

The doctors of the 42-year-old have also assured him that he would feel significantly better by November.

“Knee has survived the operation, going through the rehab patch, the doctor told me you would feel much better by November. But no problem in day-to-day routine,” said Dhoni.

A video from Thursday’s event is circling on social media, where Dhoni is seen confirming that he has only retired from international cricket, indicating that his IPL career is very much in place.

When an interviewer mentioned Dhoni’s retirement from cricket, another panellist swiftly specified that it was from international cricket. Dhoni, having a good laugh, immediately agreed with the correction, drawing loud applause from fans. This reaction may have put an end to speculations about the former India captain’s IPL future.

In an interview after the IPL 2023 final, Dhoni had said he wanted to return to IPL next season as well because of the abundant love he received from his fans, irrespective of the ground the Men in Yellow had played in.

“Circumstantially, it’s the best time to announce retirement. The easy thing for me is to say is thank you and retire. But the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to (see me) play one more season,” Dhoni said at the Narendra Modi Stadium after CSK beat Gujarat Titans in May.

The IPL 2024 auction is scheduled to take place on 19 December in Dubai, according to reports in Indian media. It would be the first-ever IPL auction to be held overseas. The deadline for the 10 teams to submit their list of retained and released players is 10 November, after which the auction pool will be finalised in early December.