Former Australian and CSK star Matthew Hayden recently shared his thoughts on the future of MS Dhoni, expressing his belief that this might be Dhoni's last season as a player. Speaking on Star Sports Cricket Live, Hayden said, "I think this is it. I do believe that this will be the last time that MS Dhoni will play. Certainly won't be the last time that we see MS Dhoni. I'd be very surprised if he doesn't mentor or be a part of the CSK family in an official capacity."
In contrast, former Indian cricketer Ambati Rayudu offered a different perspective, suggesting that fans might see Dhoni in the next IPL season. "I don't think this is his last game. I just don't see him wanting to end on this note. He looked a little frustrated, even when he got out. That’s very unlike MS Dhoni, he just wanted to qualify and finish on a high. But you never know with MS Dhoni, he might come back next year," Rayudu remarked during his exclusive appearance on Star Sports Cricket Live.
Rayudu also highlighted the potential impact of the BCCI's decision on the impact player role, stating, "And with the impact player role as well, it gives him the opportunity to be able to come in those last few overs and truly make that impact. BCCI better not remove the impact player role because we still want to see MS Dhoni play. So, it's up to BCCI now. Do we want to see MS Dhoni play or not?”
Hayden further elaborated on Dhoni's legacy and his current role with CSK. "Yeah, I suppose the thing is when you come to the end of your career, whether it is the last part of his career or not, what you don't want to see is diminishing returns as an athlete. Firstly, as a leader, he is The Thala of the Chennai Super Kings. This is telling me that nothing here is about becoming anything else other than first place. He's desperately using his brains, all of that cricket knowledge," Hayden said.
Reflecting on Dhoni's batting prowess, Hayden added, "And of course, the power is there and that's always been MS Dhoni. He's always hit balls at this stage of an innings. At the front, you can understand how players can hit it. But at the back, it's really hard to hit balls.”
MS Dhoni asks for 'time' from CSK management to take final call on retirement: Report