Hopefully my last T20 will be in Chennai, says Dhoni

Dhoni,
who
led
CSK
to
their
fourth
Indian
Premier
League
(IPL)
title
last
month
in
the
UAE,
had
earlier
made
it
clear
that
he
would
be
wearing
his
favourite
yellow
jersey
for
at
least
one
more
season
and
the
fans
would
certainly
see
him
playing
a
“farewell
game”
at
their
beloved
Chepauk.

“I
have
always
planned
my
cricket.
The
last
game
I
played
was
in
Ranchi.
The
last
home
game
in
ODI
was
at
my
hometown
in
Ranchi.
So,
hopefully,
my
last
T20
will
be
in
Chennai.
Whether
it’s
next
year
or
in
5
years’ time,
we
don’t
really
know,”
Dhoni
said
during
CSK’s
IPL
victory
celebration
here.

Speaking
in
the
presence
of
Tamil
Nadu
Chief
Minister
M
K
Stalin,
India
Cements
vice-chairman
and
managing
director
N
Srinivasan,
legendary
all-rounder
Kapil
Dev,
BCCI
secretary
Jay
Shah
and
IPL
chairman
Brijesh
Patel,
Dhoni
said
CSK’s
fan
following,
even
during
the
two
years
when
they
missed
the
league,
had
kept
the
team
going.

“Overall,
it
is
the
fan
following
which
CSK
has
got,
it
goes
much
beyond
Tamil
Nadu,
it
goes
beyond
the
borders
of
India.
Wherever
we
play
—
be
it
in
Bengaluru,
Johannesburg
or
Dubai,
we
have
got
the
support.
Even
during
the
lean
patch,
we
missed
two
years
of
IPL
and
that
was
the
period
CSK
was
most
talked
about
on
social
media,”
he
added.

Dhoni
stressed
on
believing
in
the
process
and
said
it
helped
in
coming
back
strongly
in
IPL
2021,
after
a
nightmarish
run
in
2020,
when
the
team
did
not
qualify
for
the
play-offs
for
the
first
time.

“We
had
a
very
good
run
from
2008
when
it
came
to
franchisee
cricket.
But
it
became
interesting
in
2020,
that
was
the
first
season
when
we
did
not
qualify
for
the
next
stage
of
the
IPL.

“It
gave
us
a
chance
to
test
the
real
character
of
the
franchise.
It
gave
us
an
opportunity
to
earn
the
respect
of
the
players
and
the
fans.
Because
we
said
we
believed
in
the
process
not
in
the
result
and
the
result
didn’t
go
in
our
favour
in
2020.

“We
earned
the
respect
of
the
men,
that’s
what
they
said.
This
is
what
they
do,
they
walk
the
talk…
We
came
back
very
strongly
and
we
were
able
to
win
the
title
this
year,”
the
iconic
skipper
added.

He
thanked
fellow
cricketers
and
BCCI’s
administrators
for
their
efforts.
“It
is
a
great
stage
where
I
can
thank
all
ex-cricketers
seated
here,
fellow
cricketers
and
also
the
BCCI
administrators
for
their
contribution
towards
cricket.

“Cricket
has
changed
over
the
years,
format
has
changed,
but
due
to
them,
we
are
standing
here
and
cricket
moved
forward,”
Dhoni,
who
made
his
Test
debut
in
Chennai,
said.

“One
of
the
most
memorable
associations
with
Chennai
is
my
Test
debut.
I
never
knew
I
will
be
picked
by
CSK.
I
was
in
the
auction
and
got
picked
and
it
gave
me
an
opportunity
to
understand
the
culture
of
Chennai.

“I
believe
Chennai
taught
me
a
lot,
Tamil
Nadu
taught
a
lot
on
how
to
conduct
myself,
how
to
appreciate
the
game.
Each
and
every
game
we
played
in
Chennai,
the
fans
came
and
supported
us.

“I
think
Sachin
(Tendulkar)
paaji
got
the
biggest
ovation
whenever
he
walked
out,
even
when
he
played
for
Mumbai
Indians,”
he
said
of
his
association
with
the
southern
metropolis.

Shah
said
how
can
anyone
take
CSK
lightly
when
they
have
a
captain
like
Dhoni.
“He
is
the
heartbeat
and
backbone
of
CSK.
Mahi
is
the
most
successful
captain
India
has
ever
produced.
The
bond
he
has
made
and
the
legacy
he
has
created
will
stay
for
ages,”
Shah
said.

He
also
said
the
IPL
next
year
will
be
played
in
India.
“I
know
you
are
all
eagerly
waiting
to
watch
Chennai
Super
Kings
play
at
Chepauk.
That
moment
is
not
very
far,
the
15th
edition
of
the
IPL
will
take
place
in
India
and
it
will
be
more
exciting
with
new
teams
joining.
We
have
a
mega
auction
coming
up,
let
us
see
what
the
new
combinations
look
like,”
Shah
added.

Srinivasan
said
Dhoni
has
managed
admirably
the
superstars
and
international
captains
at
CSK
and
got
the
best
out
of
the
players.
“So
many
international
captains
have
played
under
him.
It
is
universally
acknowledged
that
any
player
will
give
better
than
the
best
under
Dhoni.
The
problem
for
the
management
of
CSK
is
how
to
get
this
whole
gang
back,”
the
India
Cements
MD
said.

CM
Stalin,
speaking
in
Tamil,
too
lavished
praise
on
Dhoni
and
said
he
was
a
great
fan
of
the
CSK
captain.
“I
have
come
here
as
a
fan
of
Dhoni.
My
family,
my
grandchildren
(who
are
here)
are
fans
of
his.
My
father
(former
Chief
Minister
Karunanidhi)
was
a
great
admirer
of
Dhoni
too,”
Stalin
said.

Dev
and
Patel
praised
CSK
for
their
performance
in
winning
the
IPL
this
year.
“Wish
we
had
an
administrator
like
N
Srinivasan
when
we
were
playing.
You
are
the
first
administrator
who
started
looking
after
cricketers,”
Dev
said.