MS Dhoni wants to play IPL for 3 more years

On 14 March 2020 MS Dhoni left Chennai to return to his hometown Ranchi, in the wake of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing the postponement of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. A month after the announcement, BCCI has now confirmed that this year's tournament has been indefinitely suspended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Speculation has been rife about the MS Dhoni's future in the sport, considering he hasn't played for India since the 2019 World Cup in England. But despite the uncertainty over his international career, Dhoni is buoyant about his future with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL.

MS Dhoni with Dwayne Bravo at CSK

Sources close to MS Dhoni say that he has told his near and dear ones he wants to play IPL for three more years if his body permits. In fact the Jharkhand batsman has been on a strict diet even during the ongoing lockdown, as he tries to maintain his fitness for the resumption of the league.

"It's a known fact and he told his close friends too that he wants to play for IPL for at least three years," our source stated. "He personally really enjoys playing for the franchise and the enthralling nature of the IPL. He is all but done with international cricket but IPL is something he wants to build his post retirement career around."

MS Dhoni wants to give back to Jharkhand cricket

Dhoni also wants to do his bit for the development of the sport in Jharkhand. But he wants to take his time with that, so that he can arrive at the best possible strategy.

Our source added: "He wants to do a lot for cricket in his state, so he's currently thinking about that. One thing you know about MS Dhoni is that he will never rush into anything. Even if he might have a lot of plans in his head, he won't rush into anything unless he's sure of it."

MS Dhoni has been training with Jharkhand's Ranji team occasionally

MS Dhoni had joined some of the CSK players in early March to train for IPL 2020. But with the sporting extravaganza now suspended, he is cherishing the time he is getting to spend with his loved ones.

"Dhoni is finally getting time to spend with his family, something he never could," the source went on. "He really values this time and wants to be there for them.

And what about his desire to play international cricket again? That ship may have sailed according to our source, who stated:

"Right now, he doesn't want to play for India anymore. I know a lot of people are speculating that based on a good IPL he will fight for a India spot, (but) that is definitely not the case."

One of the biggest narratives heading into this year's IPL was the return of MS Dhoni to competitive cricket. With the tournament indefinitely suspended, there are inevitable rumors about Captain Cool announcing his retirement. However, Sportskeeda can confirm that no decision about his international retirement will take place before late 2020.

As of now, MS Dhoni's focus is solely on the IPL. With the BCCI looking at the autumn window for the tournament and also exploring potential the option of holding it at a foreign location, we might just see Dhoni's comeback this year after all.