CSK's Deepak Chahar gives his take on whether this is MS Dhoni’s last IPL season

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star all-rounder Deepak Chahar recently addressed the topic of whether MS Dhoni will retire at the end of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Chahar has backed the wicketkeeper-batter to continue for at least two years in the T20 extravaganza given his ability to go after bowlers with 145kmph speeds.

The reaction comes amid rumors that Dhoni will bid adieu to IPL at the end of the upcoming season.

Chahar, who has been playing with MS Dhoni since IPL 2016, recently told Aakash Chopra on his YouTube channel:

“He will play this year. I think he will decide after this season. I personally think he can play for two years. When do players retire – As a batsman or a bowler? When you lose pace as a bowler, if I go from 140kmph to 130kmph, then I think like that."

He added:

“Batsman gets the same feel when they get late in playing their shots against 145kmph, in T20s you retire when you feel 140kmph is extremely fast. Last year, you see how MS Dhoni hit sixes against 145kmph and we see that in the nets as well.”

Dhoni had promised to play one more season in the T20 league after guiding CSK to the fifth IPL trophy last year. The 42-year-old told the official broadcasters last season:

“The easy thing would be for me to say ‘Thank you very much’, but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another nine months and come back and play at least one more season of IPL. A lot depends on the body, I have six-seven months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it’s not easy for me, but that’s a gift.”

Last year, MS Dhoni smashed 104 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 182.46, with the help of 10 sixes. The right-handed batter also completed 5,000 runs in IPL.

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March 22: vs RCB at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai at 8pm IST

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March 31: vs Delhi Capitals at ACA-VDCA Stadium in Vizag at 7.30pm IST

April 5: vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad at 7.30pm IST