'He is keen, and still enthusiastic about the game' - Sunil Gavaskar on MS Dhoni's participation in IPL 2023

Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar shared his views on MS Dhoni’s inclusion in the Indian Premier League next year and said that the skipper seems to be still eager to achieve more for his team Chennai Super Kings, which shows he intends to play in the next season as well.

The defending champions were knocked out of the playoffs race after their heart-breaking defeat against their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians on Thursday (May 12). It was a must-win game for CSK, but things fell out of place and the conditions did not favor them as they lost the contest miserably. They were bundled out for 97 runs in the first innings and went on to lose the game by five wickets. Dhoni was the lone man standing with the bat for them scoring an unbeaten 36 with four fours and two sixes.

“Well, I mean, look at the way he (MS Dhoni) has played. He is clearly showing he is keen, and still enthusiastic about the game. In the field, what is sometimes most telling is that when you get to 8-9 and you are looking to sort of give up the game, but here he was running between the overs, he was running from one end to the other, and it shows he was keen to get the next over done,” Gavaskar said on Star Sports after the clash.

Dhoni had confirmed his participation in some capacity for the CSK next year

Dhoni was the highest scorer for his side as he walked out to bat in the powerplay, and remained unbeaten scoring a 33-ball 36*. He did not receive much support from the other end as wickets kept falling and the cookies crumbled. Though Dhoni was not able to find the gaps for boundaries regularly, he kept running between the wickets to take the strike wherever possible.

“He sensed an opportunity with those 2-3 early wickets but we have seen him do that regularly which means ‘definitely not’. That’s what Dhoni had said when Danny asked him (in 2020),” he added.

The term ‘definitely not’ is associated with MS Dhoni ever since he used the word during the IPL 2020 when CSK played the last game in the league stage, failing to qualify for the playoffs. When commentator Danny Morrison had asked the captain if that particular game would be his last in the yellow jersey, he replied “definitely not”, confirming his inclusion in the IPL 2021.

Dhoni has been the leader of the franchise since the league’s inception, but after the captaincy woes in the camp this year, questions are being asked about his participation in the IPL next year as a player. Dhoni has anyways confirmed his participation in the IPL 2023 with CSK, in some capacity but has not yet confirmed if he will play.