MS Dhoni to retire at the end of IPL 2024

Legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni is anticipated to declare his retirement from the Indian Premier League after the conclusion of the 17th season. 

Dhoni officially retired from international cricket on August 15, 2020, however, his participation in IPL continued. 

The strongest hint of this being Dhoni's final season was his decision to transfer CSK captaincy to young opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the IPL 2024 opener between the five-time champions and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai. 

According to reports, speculation of Dhoni's retirement at the end of the season prompted the franchise to ensure a smooth transition in his presence as a player. 

Dhoni is predicted to maintain a significant role in CSK, despite not as a player. CSK had previously attempted a leadership transition in the 2022 edition, which was unsuccessful, leading Ravindra Jadeja to return the captaincy to Dhoni after eight games. 

Also Read: I feel It's time, says Dhoni after stepping down as captain of CSK in IPL 2024 opener

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan stated the move to appoint Ruturaj Gaikwad is different. Dhoni, aged 42, underwent surgery after leading CSK to their fifth title, having played with a dodgy knee last season. 

Dhoni has played 250 IPL matches, scoring over 5000 runs at a strike rate of 135.92. 

Dhoni, who had pushed himself down to number 8 in the batting order last season due to knee problems, is expected to bat higher up this edition after regaining full fitness.

MS Dhoni's stellar record as CSK captain

Former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has an impressive record in the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL and two Champions League T20 victories. He captained CSK in 235 out of their 249 matches across all tournaments. 

When CSK was suspended for two years from the IPL, Dhoni led Rising Pune Supergiant for 14 matches in 2016 and 2017. 

Overall, Dhoni captained teams in 226 IPL matches, which is significantly more than Rohit Sharma, who captained 158 matches. 

Dhoni's win-loss ratio in the IPL is the third-best, standing at 1.461. Only Hardik Pandya, with a ratio of 2.444, and Steven Smith, with a ratio of 1.470, have better records among captains who have led teams in 20 or more matches.