"The easy thing for me to say is thank you and retire," Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony. "But the hard thing to do is to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold up. However, considering the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift from me to play one more season. The way they have shown their love and emotion, it's something I need to do for them."
"The season started here in Ahmedabad and the stadium was packed with fans chanting my name. It was the same in Chennai, but it will be good to come back and play as much as I can," Dhoni added.
The IPL's return to venues all around the country for the first time since 2019, along with the expectation that Dhoni was about to retire, sparked a nationwide display of support for the CSK captain. Almost every stadium had more supporters in yellow as Dhoni led CSK to yet another playoffs and eventually the final. The long-awaited reunion of the CSK captain and the Chepauk faithful resulted in adulation for him reaching its peak in Chennai - a phenomenon that even moved the typically composed Dhoni to tears.
"You do get emotional, in the first game at CSK, everyone was chanting my name. My eyes welled up, and I needed some time off in the dugout," Dhoni revealed. "I realized I need to enjoy this. I think they love me for who I am, they love that I am down-to-earth and don't pretend to be someone I'm not."
CSK entered the season with a few key players in the bowling department sidelined due to injuries. Mukesh Choudhary and Simarjeet Singh, who were the bright spots in an otherwise underwhelming campaign in IPL 2022, were unavailable, which meant Dhoni had to work with less experienced bowlers. It turned out to be a season for CSK where they relied on their batting depth and intent to score big and outperform their opponents in most cases. The final match was also one such occasion.
"There were lapses today, the bowling department didn't perform well, but it was the batting department that relieved the pressure," Dhoni said.
While Dhoni's swansong is still pending, another CSK batsman confirmed his departure on May 29 and bid farewell in an incredible style on May 30. Ambati Rayudu, who now has six IPL titles (including the ones he won with MI), played a remarkable cameo (19 off 8 balls) where he took apart Mohit Sharma's change of pace and brought CSK back on track during the chase before Ravindra Jadeja finished the job.
"The special thing about Rayudu is that he always gives his 100% on the field," Dhoni said. "But with him in the team, I will never win the fair play award. I've been playing with him for a long time, since the India A tours. He's a player who can handle both spin and pace equally well. It is something truly special. I had a feeling he would do something extraordinary today."
While Rayudu walks away after playing 204 IPL matches across 14 seasons, Dhoni remains unbeaten at 250... for now.
