Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh has lashed out at those calling for MS Dhoni’s retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), opining that he should play for another decade. It is pertinent to point out that Yuvraj Singh’s father has been a staunch critic of MSD in the past and has even blamed him for ending his son’s career prematurely. However, ahead of IPL 2026, Yograj seems to have struck a different chord and now feels that Dhoni is far away from retirement, although that is not what stats or his performances in the recent editions of the IPL indicate.
‘Who the hell are those people who ask Dhoni to retire?’
In an exclusive interview with InsideSport, Yograj credited Dhoni’s discipline and dedication to the game and said that he should continue playing for another 10 years. The former Indian cricketer slammed those who were asking the former CSK captain to retire while pointing out that ‘young cricketers’ such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli wanted to quit but MS has continued playing on.
“He (Dhoni) is still playing and should keep on doing so for the next 10 years. Because he has proved his fitness with the right discipline and dedication. I still see his forearm, amazing man. Who the hell are people to tell him to retire? No. As far as cricket is concerned, hats off to him,” Yograj Singh said.
Over the past years, Dhoni has been asked the same question – ‘Will this be your last season?’ And he has always said ‘definitely not’ or has said that he will keep trying. At 44 years of age, MS is the oldest uncapped player who is a part of the IPL at present. However, when we talk about his performances, they have deteriorated over the last few seasons.
Dhoni has issues with his knee – something that the team has acknowledged in the past. This is the very reason why he comes to bat at 7 or 8, something which has been criticised severely. He can bat a few balls but surely can’t last for 4 or 5 overs, largely because it also involves running between the wickets.
Come IPL 2026, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad refused to comment on what would be Dhoni’s batting position. But the answer is all but confirmed. MS will bat for the least of the deliveries and will walk in only when the game or the innings is nearing an end.
Dhoni is surely at the fag end of his career and by no means can he play for another 10 years as suggested by Yograj. However, he might have more than one season left in him. But what must be considered is that the team is being impacted by Dhoni’s presence in the playing XI as he occupies a spot which deprieves another youngster of the opporunity. Whether IPL 2026 will be his last or not, only time will tell.
