Since the 2021 IPL season, it has always seemed like the ongoing campaign might be MS Dhoni's final one as a player. The speculations peaked in the 2023 season which CSK eventually won in fairytale fashion at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. However, Dhoni continued his stay and at this point, it is difficult to say when he may actually call it quits. But, there could be some hints coming your way.
Before the last mega auction, we saw the IPL tweaking its 'uncapped player' rules which meant that Dhoni could be retained at steal price of ₹4 crore. This came after he had voluntarily stepped down from being CSK's highest-paid player among the retained resources. Steadily, the Jharkhand man is phasing himself out from the side. During this off-season, the speculations around Sanju Samson's move to CSK has been a huge draw among fans and pundits alike. Till this week, they seemed like speculations alone but with the Kerala batter having officially asked the Royals for a release, this drama is set to boil over.
In this same week, Ravichandran Ashwin also stepped down from his role as Director of CSK Youth Academy, which hints at him being released as a player. If he hadn't quit the admin post, releasing him could have had a potential conflict of interest problem in future. So, the Super Kings can now release or trade Ashwin with no legal implications. Given that Samson's cost of ₹18 crore as a one-way cash deal seems difficult for the five-time champions, could they offer Ashwin and possibly another player as a cash plus swap deal? As things stand, that could be a huge possibility.
That CSK are keen on getting Samson is well-documented by now and if the wicket-keeper batter goes to the mini-auctions, expect the Super Kings to go to astounding levels to get him. It could mean that Dhoni has finally decided on his future and could have informed the management about the same. Contractually, he can play till the 2027 season but at the age of 44, the former India captain knows that his powers are quickly diminishing. In Samson, not only do they have a solid wicket-keeper batter but also a mature mind for captaincy. Ruturaj Gaikwad is currently the captain of CSK and has been touted to be a long-term option but all that could change with Samson's entry.
Given the respect that Gaikwad has for Dhoni, the former is unlikely to have any problems continuing as a player with Samson taking over as captain. The vice-versa could also happen with Samson agreeing to play as a player alone, due to his admiration for Dhoni. Either way, the RR captain's possible entry to CSK could mean that Dhoni's retirement is finally coming and could happen when we least expect it.
