2021 won't be MS Dhoni's last IPL, says CSK chief exec

The former India wicketkeeper-captain, 39, struggled in 2020 as CSK finished second from bottom and were the first team eliminated from playoff contention

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This will not be MS Dhoni’s final Indian Premier League campaign, according to Chennai Super Kings chief executive Kasi Viswanathan.

The former India wicketkeeper-captain struggled in 2020 as CSK finished second from bottom and were the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

Now 39 years of age, doubt has surrounded his future in the game ever since the conclusion of the 2019 World Cup in England. He retired from international cricket a year later in August 2020, though he has continued to commit to the IPL.

“I don’t think it is going to be his final year,” Viswanathan told Indian Express. “This is my personal view and I don’t think we are looking at anybody now.”

Dhoni has not played a competitive game since the conclusion of last year’s IPL, but his experienced head will be necessary this time around, with Chennai now without former Australia allrounder Shane Watson, who has retired from professional cricket and leaves a hole at the top of the franchise’s batting order.

“It is very difficult to fill the void of Watson and what he has done for us in the last three years,” added the team’s chief executive. “But at the same time, we will have to respect his sentiment, that he was the one who wanted to retire. It will be difficult, but we will definitely work on it.”

If Dhoni continues into 2022, he will be 40 years old by the time that next year’s competition comes around.

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