On February 26, Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived in Chennai to join the CSK camp ahead of the IPL 2025 season. He received a grand welcome, and the franchise’s Twitter handle shared a special video celebrating his arrival.
Dhoni was spotted wearing a black T-shirt featuring a series of dots. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary design, but in reality, he was subtly conveying a message. The pattern was actually Morse code, which some Twitter users quickly noticed and decoded. Those familiar with Morse code could read it easily, while some users used a translator app to decipher the message—“One Last Time.”
THA7A FOR A REASON! 🦁🔥 #Thala #DenComing #WhistlePodu 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/VewJtZxVDr
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) February 26, 2025
This sparked speculations about Dhoni’s retirement among fans. Many interpreted it as a hint that IPL 2025 could be Dhoni’s last season. Meanwhile, others pointed out that the T-shirt was available on a website called Topicap, which sells this apparel with the tagline “Morse Code for a Reason.” This led to another theory that Dhoni might be endorsing the brand and simply promoting the T-shirt.
MS Dhoni’s Tshirt actually translates to one last time… pic.twitter.com/j1m8E0tbd5
— 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨 (@SergioCSKK) February 26, 2025
Chill Guys .. it's Just a T- shirt .
Dhoni is not Retiring 😭❤️ pic.twitter.com/n7AXcb4MkF
— MAHIYANK™ (@Mahiyank_78) February 26, 2025
Since retiring from international cricket in 2019, speculation about MS Dhoni’s IPL future has been a recurring topic before every season. However, he has consistently dodged retirement questions in a cryptic manner.
During IPL 2020, when Danny Morrison asked if it was his final season, Dhoni’s response was “Definitely not” which soon became iconic. After that, he went on to play four more seasons and is now gearing up for IPL 2025. Last season, the 43-year-old veteran showcased his finishing prowess with some outstanding knocks, which were enough for him to give it one more shot.
Recently, at an event, MS Dhoni mentioned that he now plays cricket purely for enjoyment, just as he did in his childhood. He also stated that he wants to continue playing for a few more years. “I’ve retired since 2019, so it has been quite some time. In the meantime, I just want to enjoy cricket for the last few years that I’ll be able to play. I want to enjoy it the way I did as a child when I was in school.” said the former CSK Captain.