"Needs to be in the best interest of the team" - Dhoni on his IPL future

MS Dhoni will decide his IPL future after the governing council finalises the auction and retention plans ahead of the 2025 edition. 

The 43-year-old wicketkeeper-batter, who has been with Chennai Super Kings since the inception of the tournament, wants to know how many players a franchise would be allowed to retain and will only then take a call on whether he wants to play another season or not. 

"There is a lot of time for it. We have to see what decision they take on player retention etc. Right now, the ball is not in our court,” said Dhoni at an event in Hyderabad.

"So, once the rules and regulations get formalised, I will take a call, but needs to be in the best interest of the team."

EXPLAINED: All you need to know about IPL team owners-BCCI meeting

There was a meeting held on Thursday between the IPL governing council, franchise owners and officials regarding the mega auction, retentions and the impact player rule. 

There have been reports suggesting that some franchises want to retain as many as seven players, while others are more than willing to let most of their team go back to the auction table.  

Before the start of IPL 2024, MSD stepped down from captaincy and played the entire tournament as a wicketkeeper-batter. Throughout the season, Dhoni battled with severe pain, including a muscle tear, which severely hampered his athletic abilities between the wickets. 

MSD only walked out to bat with two to three overs remaining but still managed to make an impact. Despite battling pain, he smashed 161 runs in the season, striking at 220.55, with 27 boundaries, with no real concerns over his batting form.

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