Chennai Super Kings star MS Dhoni found himself in an unfamiliar territory over the last few days. There have been many discussions on the India legend throughout his glorious IPL career, but for the first time, experts, and even CSK fans, have been critical of Dhoni, with many calling for his retirement from the tournament. Joining the bandwagon of former cricketers, ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting, currently the head coach of the Punjab King, weighed in on the retirement talks around Dhoni.
Speaking to The Indian Express during the Idea Exchange recently, Ponting went against the tide and backed Dhoni amid the criticism. He rather found no logic in questioning how CSK approached the situation and sent a “dangerous” reminder that Dhoni was still as good as he was as a wicketkeeper.
“Well his keeping is not getting any worse, that’s one thing I do know; he’s not missing many standing up to the stumps against the spinners, as good as ever. Look, you are not going to argue with anything CSK do, they are one of the most successful teams in IPL history. They have had consistent coaching for a long time and generally make the right decisions. With the impact player rule now, Dhoni bats after other serious ball strikers within their own right. I guess he has played a slightly diminished role in the last couple of years, just coming in for the last 10-12 balls and trying to make a big impact. Dhoni is still dangerous in the IPL,” he said.
When asked if he sees Dhoni hanging his boots in the wake of all the talk about it, Ponting reckons it will depend entirely on how he performs as a batter in IPL 2025.
“It might just depend on how this season goes. If he can have a real impact with the bat, I think he will keep playing. If his batting output drops, he might start thinking about it. He’s been a terrific player for a long time,” he added.
Dhoni opens up on IPL retirement
Dhoni’s powers as a finisher are waning, and the talk of his retirement in IPL grows louder each day. The 43-year-old, on Saturday, struggled in Chennai’s chase of 183-6 against Delhi Capitals at home. Dhoni, once a master finisher for India and Chennai, made an unbeaten 30 off 26 balls in a knock that never threatened Delhi, who won by 25 runs. The speculations peaked after his family was spotted at the Chepauk during the Delhi game — a rarity.
During a recent podcast with Raj Shamani on his YouTube channel, Dhoni ended all the speculations about his retirement, saying that he isn’t quite ready to decide to prolong his IPL career yet.
“I am still playing the IPL and one year at a time. I am 43, by the end of this IPL season, I will be 44 in July. So I have 10 months to decide whether I want to play one more year and it’s not me deciding; it’s my body, whether you can play or not,” he said.