MS Dhoni hints at retirement after dropping another bombshell statement: 'Last phase of my career ..'

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, hinted on Friday that this Indian Premier League (IPL) season could be his last, stating that "it's the last phase of my career. Despite Dhoni's statement, he led his team to a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad, bringing much joy to fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Devon Conway, a New Zealand cricketer, scored his third half-century of the IPL season, while Ravindra Jadeja took three critical wickets.

In pursuit of 134/7, CSK scored the winning runs with eight balls to spare, with Conway hitting an unbeaten 57-ball 77 and collaborating with Ruturaj Gaikwad (35) for an 87-run opening partnership. Dhoni was moved by the enormous roar and support of the crowd as he came out of the dugout after his team won the match, and he made his statement about the last phase of his career in this emotional atmosphere.

Dhoni gets emotional in front of fans

"All said and done, it's the last phase of my career, however long I play."

"After two years, the fans have had the opportunity to come here and watch, feels good to be here. Crowd has given us a lot of love and affection," said Dhoni after the match. "

Bowlers got the job done

Despite conceding 42 runs and being a little expensive, young Sri Lankan pace bowler Matheesha Pathirana received high praise from Dhoni for his impressive four overs and ability to take two wickets.

"Not getting enough chances to bat, but no complaints. I was hesitant to bat second because I felt there won't be a lot of dew. When there are chances of dew, you have to bat second.

"Spinners once they came in, bowled a very good length. Fast bowlers, once they came back, especially Pathirana, bowled superbly," added Dhoni.

Conway sets the tone

In a post-match interview, Conway discussed how CSK is working towards perfecting a winning formula, following yet another dominating performance. He played a key role in the match, contributing an unbeaten half-century to help secure the win for his team. Conway also noted that the below-par score of 134 set by SRH gave CSK an advantage, allowing them to take fewer risks while chasing.

Despite completing the task in 18.4 overs, CSK could have finished the job much earlier had they opted for a more aggressive approach. However, they chose to prioritize caution over recklessness at the M Chidambaram Stadium.

"Nice to be there in the end and get the win. Plan for us is simple. Every game, doesn't change too much. Play good cricket in the powerplay and put the bowlers under pressure. We try to look to repeat that regardless of what the score is," said Conway.

"We probably got the best of the conditions, probably (the ball) didn't hold as much as it did in the first innings. The pitch we experienced in Bangalore (against RCB) was a lot better. We knew we didn't have to be too reckless here." The New Zealander had struck 83 off 45 balls against RCB on a belter of a Chinnaswamy Stadium as CSK made a mammoth 226 for six on April 17 and defeated Faf du Plessis' side by eight runs.

SRH disect loss

Losing team skipper, Aiden Markram, said the SRH batters had let the side down.

"Never nice to lose, disappointed. Let ourselves down with the bat. Lacked partnerships of substance. It wasn't a 130-odd wicket, more closer to 160. It's tough to get momentum if you don't have partnerships.

"They (CSK) bowled well in the middle overs, but didn't give us much to score off. We knew their spinners would play a big role, it was more about each person having his own plan to counter that.

"The guys had their plans, but we couldn't get it right tonight, ultimately. We need some wins now, have to see how we can get better with the bat."