Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni has said that he wants to enjoy his last few years of playing cricket amid rumours of him returning for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Speculation has been rife about Dhoni’s future in the competition since he has already given away the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Teams are supposed to submit their lists of retained players by October 31 before the mega auction. Dhoni can be held back by the CSK as a retained player since a rule has been re-introduced that says that any player retired from international cricket for five years is classified as uncapped.

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“I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play,” a report in ESPNcricinfo quoted Dhoni as saying on Sunday at a promotional event held in Goa a couple of days ago.

“Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4[pm], just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years.” Last week, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had also said that he is hopeful of Dhoni being part of the upcoming season.

Dhoni, who underwent left knee surgery in 2023, batted lower down the order during the 2024 IPL edition. The former India skipper explained that this decision was primarily to provide game-time to aspiring Indian players ahead of the T20 World Cup.

“My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order,” Dhoni said.

“If you’re talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance.

“In our team (CSK) we had a few, (Ravindra) Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I’m good behind [playing down the order] and my team was happy with what I was doing.”

(With PTI inputs)