‘Hats off to him’: Yugraj Singh in rare praise of MS Dhoni, slams retirement calls

New Delhi: In a surprising change of stance, former India cricketer Yugraj Singh has come out strongly in support of MS Dhoni, urging the veteran to continue playing in the IPL while targeting those calling for his retirement.Yograj has been an outspoken critic of Dhoni in the past, but his tone is decidedly different ahead of IPL 2026. Speaking to InsideSport, he praised Dhoni’s longevity, discipline and dedication to the game and insisted that age should not be a factor in judging a player’s future.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!“Of course. I admire him. He is still playing. He should play for another 10 years. Because he has proven his fitness. Gay’s discipline, Gay’s dedication. Dedication,” Ugraj paid a rare tribute to the former Chennai Super Kings skipper.He also didn’t hold back in responding to his critics. “Who on earth will tell him to retire? No,” he added, questioning the clamor surrounding Dhoni’s future.“The age factor is interesting”Ugraj also dismissed the age debate as wrong in Indian cricket discourse. “When you perform, no one gives up on you. So that age factor you ask about is interesting in this country, right?” he said.Interestingly, he even mentions modern greats such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli while expressing his views. “Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli… young cricketers, they want to quit. They really should make the world realize ‘you are the best’,” he said.From critic to admirerThe comments marked a significant turnaround for Yugraj, who had previously blamed Dhoni for the premature end to his son Yuvraj Singh’s career. This time, however, he separated his personal views from his cricketing exploits.“A great player, a great captain is not the same thing as a great human being… but as far as cricket is concerned… hats off to him,” he said.At 44, Dhoni remains one of the oldest players in the IPL ranks and despite a dip in performances of late, still attracts huge interest from fans. While speculation about his retirement resurfaces every season, Ugraj’s outpouring of support adds a new twist to the ongoing debate.