Retained by CSK ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, the 43-year-old Dhoni reaffirmed his dedication to the franchise he has led to five IPL titles.

Speaking at Garuda Aerospace’s ‘Ascend’ event during the launch of the Amaran Drone and Land Mine Detection Drone, Dhoni opened up about the challenges of staying fit for the tournament.

“I only play a couple of months in a year, but I want to enjoy it the way I started playing, that’s something that keeps me going,” Dhoni said.

“But, of course, for that, I need to put in a lot of hard work for six to eight months because IPL is one of the toughest tournaments. Nobody really cares about how old you are. If you’re playing at this level, the level needs to be the same.”

Dhoni on his journey

For Dhoni, cricket has always been about passion and national pride. Hailing from a state that wasn’t traditionally known for the sport, he had an uphill climb to the top. Representing India on the global stage was his biggest motivation.

“When I started playing international cricket, for me, the biggest motivation was representing my country,” Dhoni reflected.

“It has always been the country for me because coming from where I came, not known for cricket as a state, once I got a chance, I wanted to contribute, I wanted to be part of a winning team that was trying to win each and every game, you’re trying to win the big tournaments, the bilateral series (and) so (on).”

Though his international career has ended, Dhoni’s love for the sport remains undiminished. “Now that I’ve retired from international cricket, I can’t say it’s the same, but for me now, it’s the love for the sport,” he admitted.