As fans gear up for another action-packed season of the T20 extravaganza, the IPL season 16 is almost upon us. The tournament will showcase several star players, both current and retired, who will give their all for their respective franchises. MS Dhoni’s name is once again on everyone’s lips, as he is set to play in front of his home crowd in Chennai. It could well be his last season. Mumbai Indians Captain Rohit Sharma has commented on the possibility of Dhoni retiring.
“I don’t know if it’s his last season. I have been hearing this for the last 2-3 years. He is fit enough. He is still playing. And He will continue to play,” said Sharma in a pre-season press conference of Mumbai Indians.
MS Dhoni, has led his team to win four IPL trophies, making him second most successful captain in the history of IPL. In 2021, Dhoni mentioned that he would be content to retire in front of his home crowd at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The upcoming IPL season will be played in the home and away format for the first time since 2019.
Will Rohit rest few games to manage workload?
At the pre-match press conference, Rohit Sharma was also asked about his plan to rest for a few games in the IPL season to manage his workload, considering the ODI World Cup later this year in India
The question was evaded by the Indian captain, who redirected it to the head coach of Mumbai Indians, Mark Boucher. Boucher expressed that he hoped the MI captain would not feel the need to take a break, but if he did, he would be willing to rest him for a game or two.
“With regards to resting Rohit, he’s the captain. Hopefully, he gets himself into some good form and hopefully he doesn’t want to rest. But yeah, we’ll adapt to whatever the situation is you know. If I can get the best out of him as a captain as a player then it will be great. And if it means he’s going to rest one or two games then I will do that absolutely no problem.” Mark Boucher said.
Amid preparations for the ODI World Cup 2023, set to occur in India during October-November, there is a prevalent discussion about player workload management for the participating teams. The Indian team has not secured an ICC trophy since 2013. Given Rohit’s recent appointment as captain of the Indian team, it will be intriguing to observe whether he chooses to sit out a few games in the forthcoming IPL, potentially inspiring other Indian team members to do likewise.
