The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is predisposed to conduct a farewell match for Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who unexpectedly announced his retirement from international cricket on the 15th of August.
“There is no international series right now, maybe after IPL, we will see what can be done because Dhoni has done a lot for the nation and he deserves all the respect. We always wanted to have a farewell match for him but Dhoni is a different player. He announced his retirement when nobody was thinking of it,” a senior official from the board said speaking to IANS.
There is no word of agreement yet from the former skipper as the board hasn’t put forth their proposal to him yet. According to the official, the BCCI will get in talks with Dhoni regarding this during the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) which is slated to set off from 19 September in the UAE.
“We will speak to him during the IPL and that would be the right place to get his opinion about a match or series. Well, there will be a proper facilitation ceremony for him no matter he agrees on it or not. That will be our honour to facilitate him,” the official added further.
The national cricket governing body is planning on hosting a domestic match or series which would allow his fans to witness him play in his farewell match in the home soil. Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has requested the BCCI to play the host for the match.
MS Dhoni has been off the field since the 2019 World Cup and hasn’t played any international cricket after that. Talks of his retirement had been guesstimated for all this while until his announcement on Saturday.
BCCI planning to host a farewell match for MS Dhoni
