Mumbai: The ageless Mahendra Singh Dhoni has continued to wow fans with his appetite for the game even after turning 40.
Last year, the former Team India skipper led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a record-equalling fifth IPL title.
With IPL 2024 just two-and-a-half weeks away, cricket followers had taken it for granted that Dhoni would be donning the big gloves and wielding the willow once again.
But a rare post on social media has set everyone thinking.
“Can’t wait for the new season and the new ‘role’. Stay tuned,” Dhoni posted on Facebook on Monday.
Will the 42-year-old legendary cricketer, who is the most-capped cricketer in IPL history, be taking up the role of a coach?
CSK has stuck to former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming as their coach for over a decade now, and there’s no news of him quitting that post.
So will Dhoni serve as Fleming’s assistant in strategy building?
Or will he be named as the team’s mentor?
He has performed the mentor’s role, for Team India in the 2021 T20 World Cup.
The other possibility, of Dhoni leaving the Super Kings and taking up a coaching role with another franchise, is not easy to fathom as he has been with CSK since the inception of IPL, way back in 2008.
After CSK beat Gujarat Titans in the final of IPL 2023, Dhoni promised he would return to the tournament this year. Many anticipated his return as captain and player, hence his Facebook post has sparked speculation about his future.
CSK will face Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 in the opening game of the 17th season of the world’s most popular T20 league.
