MS Dhoni will play his last T20 match in Chennai
What's the story
Former Indian captain MS Dhoni on Saturday revealed that he would play his final T20 match in Chennai.
Dhoni, who led Chennai Super Kings to their fourth IPL title this year, dropped a massive hint as the speculations over his future continue to grow.
The 40-year-old remains the most successful IPL captain in terms of match-wins.
Here are further details.
Context
Why does it matter?
Speculations regarding Dhoni's future have been doing rounds lately.
"You'll see me in yellow next season, but whether I'll be playing for CSK, you never know," Dhoni had said ahead of the IPL final.
However, Dhoni hinted that he might play the 2022 season, speaking at the presentation as CSK won the final.
Besides, the CSK fans will be delighted with his recent statement.
Quote
'My last T20 will be in Chennai', says Dhoni
Speaking at a recent event, Dhoni said, "My last ODI game was in Ranchi, my hometown. Hopefully, my last T20 match will be in Chennai. Whether it is next year, or in five years time, we don't know that yet."
Twitter Post
WATCH: Here is what Dhoni said
MS Dhoni "Hopefully my last T20 game will be in Chepauk". (Source - @ChennaiIPL) pic.twitter.com/Woa7xr6W2O
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) November 20, 2021
Dhoni
Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020
One of the greatest captains, Dhoni, retired from international cricket in August 2020, a year after he played his final match for India.
He returned for the 2020 IPL where he averaged just 25.00 with the bat.
Moreover, CSK didn't qualify for the playoffs in that season.
Although the Yellow Army made a turnaround in 2021, Dhoni's batting numbers have plunged.
Numbers
Dhoni has failed to make an impact with the bat
Since the start of the 2020 IPL season, Dhoni has averaged under 20 with the bat. His strike rate has also gone down.
He mustered only 114 runs from 16 matches at just 16.28 in 2021.
In the 2020 season, Dhoni could score mere 200 runs with the best score of 47*.
Notably, Dhoni averaged 83.20 in the 2019 season.
Captaincy
Only player to lead in 300 T20 games
Dhoni is the only player to have led in 300 T20 games.
Daren Sammy follows the CSK skipper with 208 matches.
Interestingly, Dhoni and Sammy are the only two players to captain in over 200 T20 games.
During the IPL 2021, Dhoni became the first player to lead a team in 200 IPL matches.
He has won the most IPL matches as captain (121).