2025 is turning out to be the year of mic drops featuring men who are known to dodge the limelight.
First came Narendra Modi, appearing on two podcasts in three months. And now, the painstaking wait for MS Dhoni fans is over. Because Thala has featured in his first-ever podcast, where he can be seen chatting up with Raj Shamani.
And the conversation featured the coveted question - When is the CSK veteran and former India skipper retiring?
MSD casually revealed that he may be 43, but he isn’t ready to hang up his keeping gloves. Not while his body still lets him wield the willow and whip the bails off with the cold precision.
The podcast will feature in the newly launched “Dhoni” app and was only moderated by Raj Shamani.
“Not me deciding, it’s my body that decides,” MSD said with the calm demeanour. “I’ll see how my body feels eight to ten months after this IPL. If I feel fine, I’ll go again.”
It was the kind of no-nonsense, grounded answer fans have come to expect from Dhoni, especially after social media was sent into overdrive since Saturday.
His parents were spotted at the MA Chidambaram Stadium stands, and a brief clip of wife Sakshi seemingly whispering “last match” to daughter Ziva went viral. For many, the signs were all there: emotional farewells, family in attendance, a potential curtain call at Chepauk.
Not quite, says the man himself.
“I am 43. By the time IPL 2025 ends, I’ll be 44,” Dhoni said. “Then I’ll have ten months to assess. One year at a time. That’s how I’m taking it.”
It’s a sentiment echoed on Saturday by CSK head coach Stephen Fleming, who was candid in post-match presser.
“I don’t even ask [about his future] these days. I’m just enjoying working with him,” he said after CSK’s match against Delhi Capitals.
While Dhoni’s future remains shrouded in ‘wait-and-watch’, his present is as intriguing as ever.
Uncapped MSD
This is the first IPL season he’s playing as an uncapped player — a technicality made possible by a rule tweak that allows franchises to treat players as uncapped if they haven’t represented their country in five years.
But don’t let that label fool you. There’s nothing ‘uncapped’ about Dhoni’s presence. He remains CSK’s tactical backbone, a statesman in yellow, the pulse of a team and fanbase that has grown up with his methodical madness.
During the podcast, Dhoni also opened up about his cricketing beginnings, his fear of his punctual father, and the serendipity of finding himself in India blues.
“I never thought I would play for the country. In school, we played with tennis balls. I bowled, kept wickets, and played with seniors,” he said. “There was no cricketing history in Ranchi. But I just kept playing.”
As for his legacy, Dhoni has no illusions. “I never played to prove anyone wrong,” he said. “I just did what felt right, whether people noticed or not.”
The moment also gave glimpses into Dhoni’s leadership ethos — calm, understated, deeply human. “Leadership is about absorbing pressure when needed and giving others the space to shine,” he noted. “Failure is part of the journey, but what matters is how quickly you bounce back.”
So, will he bounce back next year? There’s no farewell tour on the calendar, no grand announcement. Just a 43-year-old cricketer listening to his body, playing with undiminished joy, and, as ever, leaving the rest to instinct.
Because if there’s one thing we’ve learnt over 18 IPL seasons, three ICC trophies, and countless Dhoni masterclasses, it’s this.
He’s never just talking about cricket.