MS Dhoni fans went berserk in India before his return for CSK against Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Sunday.
Dhoni is an iconic figure all around India, and fans anticipate his return, especially in Chennai.
In order to celebrate his return, fans started a meme fest to show their emotion for the former CSK captain.
In the twilight zone of his career, there is always a doubt over Dhoni’s future. “I can play for as long as I want for CSK. That’s my franchise. Even if I’m in a wheelchair, they’ll drag me,” he said in a chat on JioHotstar ahead of the clash against Mumbai Indians.
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad marked Dhoni as an inspiring figure for the new comers in the team.
“A lot of new players have joined the team and sometimes they struggle to strike the ball as good as he is striking it right now. So, definitely it inspires a lot of us including myself,” Gaikwad told the media on the eve of CSK’s opening IPL match against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. “So, whatever he is doing at the age of 43, I think it is remarkable. We have certain strengths that we have been following since the last two years. So, I think nothing much really changes and hopefully he will continue to deliver those crucial knocks for us,” he added.
Gaikwad also believes that there is many years ahead of him.
“I think his training is very much limited to whatever he tries to achieve or whatever his role would be in the IPL. So, it is pretty much very simple, focused on trying to hit as many as sixes as possible and trying to get the right swing, trying to be in the best shape.
“That is what I think initially he was trying to do and then I never thought he was out of shape. If you see now, even Sachin Tendulkar is batting (in the Master’s league) as great as he is right now at the age of 50. So, I think there are still many years to go (for Dhoni),” he noted.