India Today Sports Desk

New Delhi,UPDATED: Aug 24, 2024 16:36 IST

In Short

• MS Dhoni plays badminton with friends
• Uncertainty remains over Dhoni's participation in IPL 2025
• CSK CEO denies asking BCCI to treat Dhoni as uncapped

Former India captain MS Dhoni might have announced his retirement from international cricket but his love for sports, which not just includes cricket, continues. He would be spotted playing tennis at his home town in Jharkhand and even flying out all the way to the U.S. to play golf with his friends. While just these sports are not enough, who would also pick up a badminton racquet and come up with an epic to leave the opponent clueless. Dhoni showcased yet again that he is fit as a fiddle and even good enough to continue playing a cricket.

A video has been doing rounds on social media where Dhoni was seen at a badminton court and hit a jump smash at rocket speed. Dhoni struggled for more of the IPL 2024 with his knee injury when he was playing for the Chennai Super Kings. However, it seems like the former CSK captain has recovered well and seems fully fit. During his badminton session, Dhoni played a smash shot and his opposing team members had no answers to it.

Will Dhoni return for IPL 2025?

There has been anticipation among fans if Dhoni would return to CSK in IPL 2025. There was a provision in the IPL rule books which stated that the players who've retired from international cricket for five years can be termed uncapped, but the rule was abolished in 2021. Recently, commenting on the matter, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanath denied making any such request and said that the BCCI will take the call on the rules.

Meanwhile, Dhoni also opened up about his retirement plans and suggested that his call will be dependent on the retentions rules for the upcoming mega auction for IPL 2025.

"There's a lot of time left for the franchises and management to decide on the retention rules and everything. So when all of it is decided, then we will take a decision. So no we don't have the ball in our court. When the regulations are decided, then we will be able to take a call...At the end of the day, we will have to take a decision which is best for CSK, and that is the ultimate goal," Dhoni said at an event.

Published By:

Diya Kakkar

Published On:

Aug 24, 2024