After Chennai Super Kings were stunned by Kolkata Knight Riders in their last home game of this IPL season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, MS Dhoni led his team in a lap of honour, once again dropping a hint that he won't feature in another edition of the T20 tournament.
Though nothing has been confirmed by Dhoni himself at the moment, the common thought is that he won't be seen as a player in the yellow CSK jersey again.
"I think MSD has given enough hints that this is his last IPL. He's keeping the world guessing and that's been his nature. But I have this intuition that Dhoni will not be playing the IPL next year," said former India batter Mohammad Kaif on on Star Sports' Cricket Live.
While Dhoni and CSK took the lap of honour around the Chepauk on Sunday, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar ran up to the CSK captain, asking for his autograph on his shirt.
1/10:IPL 2023: Dhoni's CSK does a lap of honour at Chepauk
AP
2/10:Mahendra Singh Dhoni
<p>Led by their talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings did a special lap of honour around the Chepauk to thank the home crowd after their match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.</p>TNN
3/10:2 greats of the game
<p>Even as the spectators went berserk at seeing their favourite player leading their team out after the game, batting great Sunil Gavaskar ran up to the two-time World Cup-winning captain for an autograph. (BCCI/IPL Photo)</p>TNN
4/10:Dhoni's last IPL?
<p>Probably playing in his last IPL, Dhoni, holding a racquet in one hand, was also seen hitting some balls into the crowd before tossing a few jerseys in that direction.</p>TNN
5/10:Dhoni's autographs
<p>The policemen at the venue also had their moments as they shook hands with Dhoni before getting his autographs. </p>TNN
6/10:CSK lose
<p>The game, however, did not turn out the way CSK would have liked as they lost by six wickets. </p>IANS
7/10:CSK 144/6
<p>Batting first after winning the toss, CSK could only make 144/6. </p>ANI
8/10:KKR win
<p>Chasing 145 for victory, KKR faced some early hiccups before reaching the target in 18.3 overs. </p>IANS
9/10:Rinku and Rana
<p>Rinku Singh and skipper Nitish Rana made 54 and unbeaten 57 respectively. </p>PTI
10/10:The dew factor
<p>Dhoni said the conditions, including dew, had a big impact on the match. </p>IANS"We have never seen Sunny sir taking an autograph of any other cricketer. A great like Sunil Gavaskar taking the autograph on his shirt from Dhoni just tells the greatness of MS Dhoni," said Kaif.
(Photo: @ChennaiIPL Twitter)
(With agency inputs)
