Follow UsMahndera Singh Dhoni is playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) well past his prime. At 43 years of age, he is also not winning matches this season, which has given many people many opportunities to target the Indian legend for holding on to the IPL far too long.
Moeen Ali, a former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) player himself, has retired from international cricket and is plying his trade in the IPL. But the all-rounder is just 37 and feels that cricketers should definitely prolong their franchise cricket careers.
However, the Englishman was also quick to issue a disclaimer saying that players should not just hold on to playing just because they have a big fan base. It could be a sly dig at Dhoni, his previous teammate.
“Franchisee cricket is one thing which is like a privately owned enterprise. You can continue playing if the franchisee is fine with it. If England was a franchise, I would have carried on playing because I know I am capable,” Indian Express quoted Moeen as saying.
“I definitely think you shouldn’t just hold on because you’re a big name or you have a massive following. And it should never be your own personal goals,” he added.
After retiring from international cricket, Moeen felt that there was a much bigger pool for the selectors to choose from for his replacement. He laid down the beliefs that should guide any professional athlete in terms of when to say a final goodbye.
“Don’t just hold on for the sake of holding on in a selfish way. Just be a bit more realistic and think, is it worth me holding on to? Have I got more to give to the team? If the team wants to go in a new direction, I think you should allow that to happen.”
“If you’re not performing, and you’re at that age where you’re a bit older and there are younger players coming through, and they’re probably playing better than you right now. It doesn’t mean they’re better than you now, but they’re playing better than you. Then you should be a bit more realistic and honest with yourself.”
The Warwickshire all-rounder, who is playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2025, gave the example of James Anderson who moved on with time, despite being one of the best in the business.
“For example, it was fine for James Anderson to play until 40 as he was still good, and at that stage England wanted to go in a different direction with youngsters, so he had to step down. If the team wants to go younger, you take the hint, and you move on,” Moeen said.
However, Moeen made his feelings clear about Dhoni. “Is there a better keeper than Dhoni right now? He’s still doing amazingly well. He’s probably one of the better batters in CSK so far this year. And when I was there, he was one of the better batters all the time.”
“CSK haven’t been batting so well, and some are saying somebody should come in for Dhoni. And this is what happens when a team doesn’t win. And as I said, playing in the IPL is different from representing your country with a larger pool of available talent,” he added.