IPL 2021: "I think MS Dhoni is going to retire" - Brad Hogg feels CSK skipper will hang up his boots soon
Former Australia spinner Brad Hogg believes the 2021 IPL will be MS Dhoni's final assignment and he will retire soon after. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain has looked lost at the crease over the last two IPL editions and has failed to contribute significantly with the bat.
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With the IPL mega-auction coming up, CSK and MS Dhoni will have to consider their options, keeping in mind the cost of retaining a player and the team's future. While Dhoni has been as sharp as ever with his captaincy, his batting has deteriorated considerably.
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Hogg noted that Dhoni had lost his sharpness with age, as was evident when he was once again undone by KKR's Varun Chakravarthy. While speaking on his YouTube channel, Hogg said:
"I think he's going to retire at the end of the year from IPL cricket. The way he got out to Chakravarthy the other day with the wrong un', there was a huge gap between bat and pad. I think the reflexes of the 40-year-old are just starting to wane. His keeping has been sensational.
"It's good for Indian cricket and CSK that he is still going because of his leadership out in the middle. He's keeping things calm and helped Jadeja grow as a cricketer and developing youngsters as well. Just the way that he walked off, that body language, there was a glint in the eye that said I think I've just lost that sharpness."
Dhoni was dismissed for just 1 run after surprisingly promoting himself ahead of Ravindra Jadeja in the dying stages of a tense run chase against KKR. In the end, it was the all-rounder who led the side to the win.
I think Dhoni will move into a management role: Brad Hogg
Hogg believes that with Dhoni mentoring the Indian team at the upcoming T20 World Cup, a potential management role could be in store. He feels that Dhoni could be at the helm at CSK, alongside Stephen Fleming, to oversee the transition period. Hogg added:
"At the age of 40 and with the role that he's got with the Indian Cricket Team going into that T20 World Cup, I think he'll move into a management role or even the head coach of CSK.
"Probably the management role and sit alongside Stephen Fleming and help out develop the youngsters but also create a good strategy gor the new wave of CSK cricketers moving forward because you need someone of that quality around that knows Indian conditions, knows the Indian people and has a good rapport with the players."
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CSK owner and CEO Kasi Vishwanathan has claimed in the build up to the 2021 IPL second leg that he expects Dhoni to stay with the franchise in the future, but his future role is yet to be defined.