Dhoni retirement from IPL: Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022? Who is captain of CSK in IPL 2022?

Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022: The legendary captain has called time on a 13-year Indian Premier League captaincy career.

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tryst with astonishing announcements has continued with him announcing handing over the reigns of Chennai Super Kings to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a couple of days before their IPL 2022 opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhoni, 40, was the first captain to lift consecutive Indian Premier League trophies. All in all, Dhoni led CSK to title victory on four occasions (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021). Out of the eight seasons when Super Kings didn’t win the title, they reached the playoffs on a stellar seven occasions (including five instances of finishing as runners-up).

The legendary cricketer’s longevity can be judged from the fact that he led Chennai in all the 190 matches he played for the franchise across 12 seasons. Having also captained Rising Pune Supergiants (2016), Dhoni (204) has played the most number of IPL matches as a captain.

Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022?

Not known for being at the receiving end of fancy farewells, Dhoni announced him stepping down as the captain of Super Kings via a brief press release uploaded on the website of the franchise.

“MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” read an official statement from CSK.

Hence, there should be no doubt about Dhoni’s IPL 2022 participation. Dhoni, who will be missed with respect to speaking to host broadcaster as a captain, will be playing as a specialist wicket-keeper batter only for the second time in the IPL. Back in IPL 2017, Dhoni had represented Rising Pune Supergiants under Steven Smith.

Who is captain of CSK in IPL 2022?

As mentioned above, Jadeja will be leading Chennai in IPL 2022. Readers must note that the 33-year old player has represented the franchise in 132 matches (third-highest for CSK) across eight seasons. The southpaw will become only the third captain to lead Super Kings after Dhoni (190) and legendary IPL batter Suresh Raina (5).