Will MS Dhoni return for IPL 2025? ‘We hope he’ll be back,’ says CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO K.S. Viswanathan, fondly referred to as ‘Kasi Sir’, said he was unaware of MS Dhoni’s potential retirement plans in a video posted by the franchise on Thursday.

“I do not know. It is a question only MS [Dhoni] can answer,” Viswanathan said. “We have always respected the decisions taken by MS. We have left it to him and as all of you know he has always taken his decisions and announced it at the appropriate time.”

“We do expect that we will get a decision as and when he decides. But we are very hopeful he’ll be available for CSK next year,” he added.

“That is the view and expectation of the fans and mine,” he opined.

Dhoni stepped away from captaincy duties just ahead of the IPL 2024 season, handing over the reigns to Ruturaj Gaikwad who guided the team to fifth in the points table, losing out on the Playoffs due to Net Run Rate.

If, as per speculation, there is a mega auction held later this year, CSK will have to utilise one of its retentions on the 42-year-old, prompting many fans to expect a retirement announcement soon.