Wasim Akram opened up about MS Dhoni’s retirement talks after RCB pipped CSK in the IPL 2024 playoff race.
As Virat Kohli rightly pointed out, to watch MS Dhoni play in any stadium in India is a ‘big thing’ for the fans. “Me and him playing again, maybe for the last time, you never know – that is a special thing,” Kohli added as the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) fuelled MSD’s retirement talks before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. Like Kohli, legendary Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram has also admitted that Dhoni might bid farewell to IPL cricket after Chennai Super Kings bowed out of the playoff race.
Players like Dhoni come in a lifetime, Akram said(PTI-AFP)
In speculations about finishing his career in the 2024 season, Dhoni dropped the captaincy bombshell on the eve of the IPL opener against RCB. The talismanic batter of the Yellow Brigade stepped down as CSK’s captain in the lead-up to the IPL 2024 opener. Dhoni handed the captaincy reins to Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad for the 2024 season. With Gaikwad at the helm, Dhoni continued to bat as a lower-order batter in the league phase.
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Dhoni’s cameo vs RCB
Playing the role of the finisher against RCB in CSK’s final league game, Dhoni was tasked with scoring 17 runs in the last over of the innings bowled by Yash Dayal. Dhoni started the final over with a bang as the CSK icon smoked a monstrous six off the RCB pacer. Holding his nerve against the CSK legend, Dayal got the better of Dhoni on the next ball, as CSK ended up losing the virtual playoff qualifier by 27 runs.
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‘He’ll be done after this’: Wasim Akram on Dhoni
In a conversation with Sportskeeda, Akram claimed that Dhoni would bid farewell to IPL cricket after the 2024 season. “(On MS Dhoni’s future) I have a gut feeling, he’ll be done after this. Players like him come in a lifetime, it all depends on him,” Akram said. “(On Memorable six) His legacy is not just that [110m] six, it’s something else. He’s done a lot for Indian cricket. He brought the mindset. As a captain, he brought calmness, played captaincy knocks, the way he became a finisher, the way he has groomed players, and showed consistency, so this will be his legacy,” the former Pakistan skipper added.
‘Glimpse of his legacy’
Dhoni smashed 25 off 13 balls to keep CSK in the hunt against RCB. The 42-year-old amassed 161 runs in 14 games for the Super Kings. Dhoni batted at an explosive strike rate of 220.54 in the league phase. In the same season, the Ranchi stalwart demoted himself to the No.9 batting position – the lowest of his T20 career. Dhoni remained unbeaten for seven games in the IPL 2024. “But, yes, for fans the last image will be that 110-metre six at his age, it’s incredible fitness. It will only be a glimpse of his legacy,” Akram concluded.
