MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings, is in the midst of the last phase in his cricketing career according to many fans and experts alike. During the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League, the legendary wicket-keeper batsman has gotten insane support from his fans at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai and all other venues across the country while playing for CSK.
But Yusuf Pathan, a former multi-time IPL winner for Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, has a different thought process as far as MSD’s IPL future is concerned. He thinks that the Cricket World Cup-winning captain for India can play in the tournament for another five years.
While speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Pathan was quoted as saying, “Why should Dhoni leave, with the new Impact Player rule he can play for another five years. Although he may not be the captain, but fans will see him bat and mentor CSK.”
The Vadodara-born cricketer also shared his reasoning behind MS Dhoni not retiring from the Indian Premier League anytime soon. He stated that the Impact Player rule can allow MSD to manage himself well and he is already very committed to playing the sport despite his knee issues, as seen in this year’s edition of the IPL.
“In my opinion, Dhoni can continue playing for another five years because of the new Impact Player rule. He has said nothing about retirement, it's others who have been talking about it. He still has a lot of cricket left in him. He has hit big sixes in IPL, despite pain on his knees. So this shows his commitment towards the sport,” said Pathan to ESPNcricinfo.
Meanwhile, on May 20, M S Dhoni will lead Chennai Super Kings against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. In the city of Delhi, CSK has to defeat DC to ensure their qualification to the IPL playoffs one more time.