'Hey bhagwan kab aayega Dhoni ji ka last ITL season' - Fans react as Rohit Sharma claims Dhoni is fit enough to play for 2-3 seasons

MS Dhoni & Rohit Sharma (Image credit: Twitter)

With just hours left for the 16th edition of the Indian T20 League, franchises and players are gearing up to kick off the marquee event with a bang. This time the excitement of the fans will also be high as they will be able to see their favorite players in action at their home ground. While Chennai fans will be happy to see their beloved 'Thala' back in Chepauk, they may also be disappointed with the rumour that this will be his last ITL season.

Meanwhile, reacting to reports that the former India captain will retire from the ITL after this season, Rohit Sharma said that Dhoni is good enough to play two to three more seasons. The five-time champions hosted a pre-season press conference on Wednesday, which was attended by their skipper and coach Mark Boucher.

“MS Dhoni is fit enough to play for 2-3 more years. I don’t think it’s his last year,” Rohit said during the Instagram LIVE session.

Can Dhoni give his team a fifth title this year?

The Chennai skipper, who has led the Yellow Army to four ITL titles, is still an important part of their squad. Although his captaincy prowess alone can win matches, the wicketkeeper-batter has led his team in tough conditions with his bat, scoring 4978 runs in 234 matches since the start of the league.

The 2023 season could be his last dance as a player as the legendary cricketer had earlier stated that he wants to hang up his boots after playing in front of his adoring Chennai fans. Last season was a forgettable one for Dhoni and Co, who finished second last in the points table. But the champions cannot be written off and the same line goes for Chennai, who suffered a similar setback in 2020 and made a massive comeback to win the title the following year, have every chance of repeating it this season.

The latest edition of the Indian T20 League will begin on March 31 when Chennai take on the defending champions Gujarat at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Here's how fans reacted to Rohit Sharma's claim about Dhoni's retirement:

And Sharma isn’t fit to play even right now.

— Abhinav Khare (@iabhinavKhare) March 29, 2023

Rohit should learn from MS Dhoni how to be injury free and fit at this age, so that we too can see Rohit playing till atleast 38-40 😍

— ً (@SarcasticCowboy) March 29, 2023

Rohit Sharma can learn how to avoid injuries.

— Vipin Tiwari (@vipintiwari952_) March 29, 2023

😭😭 pic.twitter.com/hT7tVe01Ln

— Sunny Cricket (@CricketKiBaat18) March 29, 2023

hurts to see that ms at 42 is fitter than rohit at 35

— Ekaansh Arora (@EkaanshAro68080) March 29, 2023

Even Rohit will also get fitness like Dhoni if he stops eating Vadapav 🥸

— Nandu Gowda (@NanduGo98411903) March 29, 2023

Funny lagta he jab Rohit fitness ke baareme baat karta he..!🤭🤭😆

— 🅱️eing 🅾️ptimistic🎩🐦 (@MaruthiChikka) March 29, 2023

Hey bhagwan kab aayega dhoni ji ka last IPL season 🥲

— Introvert \🙇‍♂️ 🇮🇳 (@introvert_hu_ji) March 29, 2023