Cricket News

‘He’s playing only for captaincy’ – Virender Sehwag drops verdict on MS Dhoni’s future in IPL

MS Dhoni is rumored to be playing in his final IPL season

May 29, 2023 12:00 pm

The 2023 Indian Premier League season finale, which was initially slated to take place on Sunday night, has been moved to Monday due to persistent rain. Chennai Super Kings will face Gujarat Titans in the game. CSK will attempt to win a record-equalling fifth IPL title on Monday night at Ahmedabad. The team was the first to get to the final after defeating GT in the first qualifier.

Throughout the entire season, rumours about MS Dhoni’s IPL future following the 2023 season have abounded. The CSK skipper did state that he will take some time to consider his future, while Dhoni has stayed mum on whether he will play in the competition the following year.

‘You will see him (MS Dhoni) as mentor or coach or Director of Cricket’- Virender Sehwag

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag, who represented Team India while MS Dhoni served as captain, recently addressed the future of the CSK captain, stating that Dhoni will either retire or play in the first team going forward. Sehwag’s remark about the Impact Player rule was about the fact that Dhoni would not meet the requirements, according to the former opener.

“It’s not difficult (to play cricket in 40s) if you’re fit. MS Dhoni hasn’t batted too much this year. He’s not aggravating his knee injury. Often, he would come in the last two overs. If I count the total balls he faced, I think he would’ve faced 40-50 deliveries this season.

“Impact Player rule doesn’t apply on MS Dhoni. Because he’s playing only for captaincy. He has to stay in the ground for captaincy. Impact Player rule is for someone who doesn’t field but bats, or a bowler who doesn’t need to bat. Dhoni has to field 20 overs; if he’s not the captain, he won’t even play as Impact Player. Then, you will see him as mentor or coach or Director of Cricket,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

It’s interesting to note that Dwayne Bravo, the bowling coach for CSK, had previously claimed that the Impact Player rule would make it simpler for Dhoni to play for the team in the future. “100 percent. Especially, with the Impact Player rule. It will keep prolonging his career,” Bravo told Star Sports.