Is MS Dhoni switching from jersey No 7 to No 8? Viral social media post sparks buzz among fans

New Delhi: Ahead of the commencement of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, former Indian captain and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni has shared a video on social media that has taken the internet by storm. The post states that the celebrated keeper-batter will change his jersey Number from 7 to 8.

What is there in the video?

Dhoni on Tuesday shared a video that featured a man removing Dhoni's Number 7 jersey from the player's dressing room and can be seen placing Number 8 jersey in its place.

Why did Dhoni choose jersey No 7?

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who made his international debut in 2004, has been wearing his lucky number jersey Number 7 from the start and have been inseparable since then. The number is seemingly important due to his date of birth being July 7, 1981. 

Even in IPL, the Ranchi-born cricketer has donned his lucky jersey Number 7 over the years.  

Is Dhoni finally changing the number now? 

Dhoni shared the video on Facebook with the caption, "Some numbers stay with you. 7 has always been one of them. But today, I’m switching to 8. You’ll know why soon."

Is the Number 7 jersey retired?

In 2023, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officially retired the Number 7 jersey, after Dhoni retired from international cricket.

To honour Dhoni's contribution to Indian cricket, the jersey was retired, which means that no other Indian player can ever use the same number jersey again.

This is the second such instance after legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's jersey number 10 being retired.

The jersey number 7 has been retired from international cricket, but Dhoni continues to play in the IPL for the CSK wearing the same number 7.

Does it apply to IPL?

The colour of the T-shirt in the video  is not the iconic yellow of the Chennai Super Kings. Rather, it is blue, which further raises speculation that the clip may be for a commercial purpose.