‘When it comes to cricket, India is the place to play’: MS Dhoni calls IPL ‘the next big thing’
&w=752&h=564&format=webp&quality=medium "‘When it comes to cricket, India is the place to play’: MS Dhoni calls IPL ‘the next big thing’")
With him in the twilight stage of his cricket career, five years since he announced his international retirement, Dhoni was grateful to the fans and their love.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) veteran and stand-in captain (for this season) MS Dhoni thanked the fans for supporting him throughout. Dhoni, 43, is perhaps leading his franchise for the one last time as CSK plays hosts Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 25) in IPL 2025.
Dhoni sat with the broadcaster for an exclusive chat before the game, expressing his delight in representing India and CSK before calling this tournament ‘the next big thing’.
Dhoni is an enigma – a grander-than-life personality, with countless fans chanting his name when he enters the arena. For years and years now, his craze just increased, and even when a section of fans urged him to announce his retirement, he continued to entertain all with his batting blitz and keeping wonders.
With him in the twilight stage of his cricket career, five years since he announced his international retirement, Dhoni was grateful to the fans and their love.
"It's a very good feeling, and I always said it's a big thank you from the fans' side. That's what I believe, like whatever the last few years I will be playing, you know, it's a way of, they are saying that thank you very much for whatever you have done. And it's amazing, especially when you play a sport, what you want is the appreciation of the fans,” Dhoni said in a chat with Star Sports. “And when it comes to cricket, India is the place to play.”
‘Being part of Indian Cricket is the biggest thing’
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MS Dhoni played all formats, captained them and even won trophies and titles for fun. He remains the only captain to win three different ICC trophies – the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy, further leading India to rank number one position in the ICC Test rankings for the first time.
Meanwhile, having served Indian cricket for nearly 16 years, Dhoni is all but proud of doing so, saying playing for his country is the biggest thing ever. Now that he is not playing international cricket anymore, Dhoni feels continuing to play in the cash-rich league is the next big thing.
“Being part of the Indian cricket team is one of the biggest things. I'm not playing international cricket. So IPL is the next best thing that can happen. So, I don't get goosebumps, but it's a kind of feeling, you know, whenever you walk in, everybody is very excited. They're waiting for you. They want you to do well. Even at times when you're playing against the team that they want to win, know they still want you to perform, contribute a bit, whatever it may be. So yeah, it's, it's an amazing feeling,” he continued.