MS Dhoni's retirement talks catches fire as Sakshi Dhoni's 'last match' conversation with Ziva during DC clash goes viral, watch

The speculation regarding MS Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League escalated on Saturday following the emergence of a brief video clip featuring Sakshi Dhoni's conversation with her daughter Ziva on social media. Broadcast during the Chennai Super Kings' match against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the footage showed Sakshi, and fans interpreted her as mouthing the words "last match" to Ziva.

In the now-viral video circulating on social media, Sakshi Dhoni is seen talking to their daughter Ziva during CSK’s match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday, 5th April, at Chepauk. In the short clip, Sakshi appears to say “last match” to Ziva, as seen from lip-reading the video.

This moment, captured during the second innings and subsequently shared extensively on X, formerly Twitter, has led fans to believe it's a significant indication that Dhoni could be in his final IPL season. Some fans even suggest he may have already played his last match at Chepauk.

 April 5, 2025

Despite the absence of official confirmation from the franchise or the player, the presence of Dhoni’s parents, Pan Singh and Devaki Devi, in the stands intensified the speculation. This marked the first instance of his parents attending a match to support him while he played for CSK.

If Saturday indeed marked Dhoni’s final appearance at Chepauk, it concluded on a disappointing note. CSK suffered a 25-run defeat against Delhi Capitals, representing their third consecutive loss in IPL 2025. Their pursuit of a target of 184 never truly gained momentum after a sluggish start, and Dhoni’s performance, an unbeaten 30 off 26, proved insufficient to overcome the deficit.

Intriguingly, just a day earlier, discussions had emerged regarding Dhoni possibly captaining CSK once more, as regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was dealing with an injury. However, Gaikwad recovered in time and led the team, with Dhoni playing as wicketkeeper and middle-order batter.

However, as speculation about his retirement grew, CSK posted a cryptic meme on social media, seemingly urging fans to move on from the discussion. The post, captioned "no context," featured a scene from a Tamil film where a character tells a crowd to stop debating. The subtle message was characteristic of the team's meme-filled communication style.

April 5, 2025

Meanwhile, CSK was defeated by the Capitals by 25 runs at Chepauk. They are currently positioned in the lower half of the standings, having suffered three consecutive losses.