Professional sport not easy, nobody gives you discount for age: MS Dhoni

It's safe to say there has been a fanfare around MS Dhoni since the last edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their fifth title in 2023, and this season, he passed on the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, further indicating that this would be his last year in the IPL. 

CSK lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their final group stage match and, as a result, have failed to make it through to the playoffs. Is that the end of Dhoni's career? While there is no official confirmation, the former India and CSK captain has opened up about the challenges of playing in the tournament, especially after international retirement.

"The toughest thing is... I am not playing cricket throughout the year. So I have to be fit. Once I come, you are competing against youngsters who are fit and playing international cricket. Professional sport is not easy, nobody gives you a discount for age," Dhoni said in an interview on Dubai Eye 103.8's YouTube channel.

Dhoni last turned up for India in 2019. Since then, he has solely been playing in the IPL. While he quit international cricket to spend more time with his family, he also stressed how important it was for him to stay focused on the game.

"Once I quit international cricket, I wanted to spend a bit more time with my family. But, at that same time, to be mentally active, to have that passion to stay focused -- for me, I love farming, for me, it is the motorbikes. I have started getting into vintage cars. These things de-stress me," he explained.

The 42-year-old played some useful cameos down the order for CSK this season. Overall, he slammed 161 runs at 53.66 in 11 innings at a strike rate of 220.54.

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