'MS Dhoni is fit enough, he will continue to play' - Rohit Sharma on possibility of IPL 2023 as CSK skipper's last season

The Indian Premier League season 16 is almost here as fans prepare themselves for another action-packed season of the T20 extravaganza. The upcoming season will feature several star players, including current ones and retired who will give their all on the field for the respective franchises. The man whose name is once again being echoed all over India ahead of the IPL is MS Dhoni.

The upcoming season is being reportedly called his last as the Chennai Super Kings captain will be playing in front of his home crowd in Chennai after a long time. Commenting on the possibility of the Captain Cool playing his last season, Mumbai Indians Captain Rohit Sharma has said that the four-time IPL-winning captain is fit enough to continue playing ahead.

“I don’t know if it’s his last season. I have been hearing this for the last 2-3 years. He is fit enough. He is still playing. He will continue to play,” said Sharma in a pre-season press conference of Mumbai Indians.

MS Dhoni is the second most successful captain in the history of IPL (in terms of trophies won) having led Chennai to four title victories under his leadership. The 41-year-old had earlier said in an interview in 2021 that he will happily retire after playing his last game in front of his home crowd at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. 

With the upcoming IPL all set to take place in the home and away format for the first time since 2019, there have been widespread speculations that the forthcoming season will be his last ever in IPL. 
Meanwhile, during the pre-match press conference of Mumbai Indians, Rohit was also asked about the possibility of him resting for a few games in the IPL season to manage his workload keeping in mind the ODI World Cup later this year in India.

The Indian captain dodged the question and asked Mumbai Indians head coach Mark Boucher to answer it. Boucher said that hopefully the MI captain wouldn’t want to rest and if he needs it he will be happy to rest him for one or two games.

“With regards to resting Rohit, he’s the captain. Hopefully, he gets himself into some good form and hopefully he doesn’t want to rest. But yeah, we’ll adapt to whatever the situation is you know. If I can get the best out of him as a captain as a player then it will be great. And if it means he’s going to rest one or two games then I will do that absolutely no problem,” Mark Boucher said.

With the ODI World Cup 2023 scheduled to take place in India in October-November, there have been widespread talks about managing the workload of the players who will feature in the tournament. The Indian team has failed to win an ICC trophy since 2013 and a lot of it has been blamed on their workload. 
With Rohit now being the captain of the Indian side, it will be interesting to see if he rests for a few games in the upcoming IPL and inspires other Indian team members to do the same.

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