IPL 2022: "It will be unfair to not to say thank you to Chennai" - MS Dhoni confirms he'll play for Chennai Super Kings in 2023

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has confirmed he'll return to the IPL in 2023.

Speaking at the toss ahead of their match against Rajasthan Royals (RR), Dhoni said he'll "definitely" play next year because he feels "it will be unfair" on the team's fans if he retires without thanking them in Chennai.

The 40-year-old also said he wants to thank all the cities where he's spent over 15 years of his IPL career but remained non-committal on his future beyond 2023.

Dhoni said:

"Well I think, you know, definitely. It's a simple reason, you know, it will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you. Mumbai is a place where as a team and as an individual I've got a lot of love and affection but it won't be nice to the CSK fans.

"Hopefully next year it will be an opportunity with all the teams traveling. It will be nice to thank all the different places where we'll play. Whether it'll be my last year or not, that's a big question because you can't really predict about something two years down the line but definitely I'll be working hard to come back strong next year."

The last IPL match played at Chepauk was in April 2021 between the Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The second half of that season was played in the UAE and this season was restricted to just Maharashtra due to the pandemic.

But stakeholders are optimistic that next year might be closer to normal with all cities hosting their home games.

The announcement won't just be music to the ears of Super Kings fans, but it is also something that the team needs after a troublesome year.

The four-time champions are most likely to finish ninth in the points table and have had to tide over Ravindra Jadeja's mid-tournament resignation and other controversies.

The iconic captain staying on the team will also buy the management some time to discuss their long-term future and decide who they want to pick as his heir.

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat

Before confirming that this was not his last match in the IPL, Dhoni chose to bat first in the dead-rubber match against RR at the Brabourne Stadium. Here's a look at CSK's playing XI:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, MS Dhoni (wk/c), Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, and Mukesh Choudhary.