Dhoni on IPL future: Nothing to decide now, will work hard to come back

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni on Wednesday said he will decide on his IPL future after working hard for 68 months and assessing whether his body can cope with the demands of the game.

The former India captain, who is met with a sea of yellow in every venue he goes to play in the IPL, acknowledged he is in the final stretch of his career and fans don't know which game could be his last.

"That is the love and affection I have gotten throughout. Not to forget I am 42 (43). I have played a long time. A lot of them don't know when it is going to be my last time, so they want to come and see me play," Dhoni said after CSK's two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhoni, who underwent knee surgery in 2023, has continued to battle fitness concerns. CSK head coach Stephen Fleming recently admitted that the veteran "can't bat 10 overs running full stick."  "There is no escaping the fact (that I am in the last phase of my career). After this IPL gets over, I have to work hard for another 6-8 months to see if my body can take this pressure. Nothing to decide now but the love and affection I have seen is excellent," the swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter said.

The win was only CSK's third of a disappointing season marred by inconsistency. With play-off hopes dashed, Dhoni said the focus is now on testing bench strength.

"There were a few things that did not go our way. You could get emotional about it, talk about the pride factor but you have to be practical about it.

"Just concentrating about where the 25 players could fit. Want to be competitive but you also want answers - which batter can fit where, which bowler can bowl where, according to the conditions and all. When we started, hardly anyone was scoring.

"We are out of the tournament, so you give them a chance, see how they react. It is the approach, the mental toughness that you want to check. The most technically-correct batter does not always score the runs, if you have good awareness there is a chance to be consistent."  Meanwhile, the defeat leaves KKR with slim hopes of qualification. Asked about the road ahead, captain Ajinkya Rahane said, "It is pretty simple, now we have to win two out of two, let's see what happens from there.