"If he is going to leave, he will do it very suddenly" - Harbhajan Singh on when MS Dhoni will retire from IPL
Harbhajan Singh recently mentioned that MS Dhoni's retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) will come all of a sudden, just like how he quit India's Test captaincy in 2014.
The former cricketer emphasized that Dhoni was always keen to play in front of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans at Chepauk before hanging up his boots. Speaking on the 'Sports Yaari's' YouTube channel, here's what Harbhajan said about the wicketkeeper-batter's IPL future:
"See, he is MS Dhoni. Whatever he does, it will be very different. If he is going to leave, he will do it very suddenly. We saw how he left India's Test captaincy in the same fashion. But he always wanted to finish his career in front of CSK fans. That's very close to him. He wanted to retire in from of them, and that's a great thing that he thinks of the fans."
It is worth noting that Dhoni will captain CSK in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 41-year-old has reached Chennai ahead of the season and has begun his preparations.
With the cash-rich league returning to its home-and-away format, the World Cup-winning captain is set to play in front of the Chepauk crowd once again.
"He doesn't leave the nets until his back starts to hurt" - Harbhajan Singh on MS Dhoni's practice sessions
Speaking in the aforementioned video, Harbhajan Singh also mentioned how MS Dhoni will work very hard on his game to gear up for IPL 2023. He revealed that the player tends to bat in the nets for a very long period of time and leaves only when his back starts to hurt.
He further pointed out that Dhoni looks to be in great shape and appears to be supremely fit, despite being 41 years old, adding:
"MS Dhoni has worked very hard ahead of the IPL, you can see that from the size of his biceps. It doesn't look like he is 41 years old. He reached Chennai quite early, which is a very good sign for CSK. He will bat for around two hours in the nets. He doesn't leave the nets until his back starts to hurt."
CSK had a dismal season last year, finishing in the penultimate position after winning just four of their 14 matches. The four-time champions will look to make amends by coming up with an improved performance this time around.
MS Dhoni and Co. will begin their IPL 2023 campaign with a clash against Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31.