Dhoni likely to visit London for muscle tear treatment; will decide future course post-recovery: Sources

New Delhi: With questions flying thick and fast about his retirement, former India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is planning a visit to London for treatment of a muscle tear injury, CSK sources have said. Dhoni will take a call on his future course of action post-recovery, the sources said.

CSK got eliminated from the Playoffs race of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after a heart-wrenching defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a do-or-die match on Saturday.

It will be only the third time that the five-time champion won’t feature in the IPL playoffs. The defending champions suffered a 27-run defeat at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and as soon as M.S. Dhoni walked out of the ground scoring 25 off 13 deliveries, the speculation grew regarding his future.

However, in the latest development sources privy to information told IANS that Dhoni would be deciding about his retirement only after having surgery in London.

“Dhoni might head to London for his muscle tear surgery which saw him struggling during the IPL. He is not fully fit but wants to continue to play cricket and he will only decide about his future after treatment which will take him five to six months to recover,” sources told IANS.

Chasing 219, CSK faltered in the middle overs after recovering from the sloppy start. Rachin Ravindra's 61-run and Ravindra Jadeja's unbeaten 42 failed to guide the defending champion over the line.

Despite finishing the campaign with 14 points same as RCB in the league stage, CSK failed to seal the berth due to the latter's superior net run-rate.

With CSK ending their campaign in the IPL, fans and experts speculated that it could be Dhoni's final season for the franchise, but the veteran has kept his cards close to heart and headed back home after the match on Sunday.