CSK Captain MS Dhoni spoke on his much-speculated retirement after Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets (DLS) winning their fifth IPL title in the final match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Monday.
CSK vs GT Highlights
In a drama-packed match of unanticipated developments and emotional highs, Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 Final, winning their 5th title. The two-hour-long rain break cut the overs down to 15, and a revised target of 171 runs was set for CSK. With 13 runs needed off of the last over, and Mohit Sharma’s tight bowling, all seemed dull for CSK until Jadeja unleashed everything he had in him. 10 runs to win and 2 balls left, Ravindra Jadeja scored a Six followed by a boundary on the final ball, granting CSK their historic 5th title.
GT had scored 214 runs off of 20 overs, setting a high target for CSK. Sai Sudharsan scored 96 runs off just 47 balls and steered Gujarat Titans to a score of 214/4. He made the most of the final few overs by hitting eight fours and six sixes in his innings. With Shubman Gill being held to a score of 39 off 20, Wriddhiman Saha hit 54 off 39. The GT innings only had a few light drizzles, which didn’t lead to any type of interruptions.
CSK’s opening duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway established the groundwork. Later, CSK’s situation was made smoother by some great cameos from Shivam Dube (32*), Rahane (27 off 13), and Ambatri Rayudu (19 off 8). The best bowler for Gujarat was Mohit Sharma, who finished with 3 for 36, while Noor Ahmed was the most frugal, finishing with 2 for 17 in 3 overs.
Dhoni on retirement
Speaking on his much-speculated retirement, He acknowledged that it was likely the correct moment for him to say goodbye to the sport by announcing his retirement from the IPL but to the delight of many, added that he is still open to playing another season and thanked the supporters for their tremendous support during the season. The CSK captain stated that he would like to return the following year as well. Dhoni noted that he has nine months to make the important decision regarding his participation in the IPL 2024, although being aware that it may be physically much more taxing given his age, 41, and his persistent knee issue.
“Circumstantially if you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say “Thank you very much”, but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another 9 months and come back and play at least 1 more season of IPL. A lot depends on the body, I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it’s not easy for me but that’s a gift. The way they’ve shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them,” he said.
The match also saw an uncharacteristically expressive MS Dhoni lifting Ravindra Jadeja, who scored the winning runs driving CSK towards their 5th title. “You do get emotional simply because it’s the last part of my career, it started over here and the first game when I walked down everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water and I just stood there in the dugout for a while. I realised I want to enjoy this. It was the same thing in Chennai, it was my last game over there but it will be good to come back and play whatever I can. They love me for what I am”, said Dhoni.
“The kind of cricket I play, I think everyone in the stadium thinks they can play that way because there is nothing orthodox about it. So, I feel they can relate to me more than anyone else. I don’t want to change myself, I never wanted to portray myself in a way that I am not.”, CSK Skipper Dhoni added.