The yellow stands of Chepauk still roar when M.S. Dhoni walks out to bat. The chants of “Thala” still echo long after the match ends. But this season, something feels different. The roars are tinged with worry.
The chants, though loud, carry questions. And most painfully for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) fans, their icon – MS Dhoni – is no longer the answer to their problems. He might just be one of them.
In the 2025 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), CSK, once the epitome of consistency, calm and championship pedigree, are floundering.
Four losses in five matches. A top order in disarray. A bowling attack missing bite. A team that once thrived on clarity and experience now seems confused and lethargic.
And at the centre of this unravelling is Dhoni – not as a saviour, but increasingly, as a symbol of CSK’s struggle to let go of the past.
On April 5, the crowd at Chepauk, like always, waited for Dhoni to walk out. They got their wish – Dhoni walked in early, with CSK five down and needing 112 off 56 balls.
A few years ago, that would have been the perfect Dhoni scenario. But this wasn’t vintage Dhoni. This was the Dhoni of 2025 – hesitant, physically limited, batting 19 balls for a lone six when the match had already slipped away.
Even former India star and commentator Ravi Shastri, never one to undersell drama, called the six with a disinterested tone, summing up the disconnect.
A few days later, against Punjab Kings, Dhoni seemed back to his old self – three sixes, a charged-up 27 – but it came too late.
With 28 needed off the final over, he fell on the first ball, unable to produce another fairytale finish. CSK lost again.
The fortress of Chepauk, once feared by all, has been breached multiple times this season.
Head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that Dhoni “is not in shape to bat for 10 overs”. After knee surgery and now at 43, he’s trained for short bursts.
The plan was clear – Dhoni as a late-order finisher, not the lynchpin of a chase. But CSK’s misfiring top order has thrown this plan into disarray.
They have experimented heavily – 17 players in five matches – unsettling the team’s rhythm.
Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Rahul Tripathi have failed to click. Ruturaj Gaikwad, promoted to captaincy, has shown flashes of form but lacks Dhoni’s aura and strategic acumen.
The result? CSK find themselves playing catch-up every game. Dhoni’s late cameos, once thrilling, now feel like afterthoughts – entertaining, yes, but inconsequential.
CSK’s reliance on Dhoni’s presence – for brand, for fan engagement, for leadership – is both their strength and Achilles’ heel.
Commentator Sanjay Manjrekar put it bluntly: “Dhoni’s presence in the team is more for brand value than actual cricketing value.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by many. Former Mumbai batsman Wasim Jaffer questioned whether Dhoni should even be in the XI if he’s not captaining.
Former cricketer Manoj Tiwari suggested that Dhoni should have retired after CSK’s 2023 title win. Even Australia great Matthew Hayden has remarked that “Dhoni has lost the cricket; it’s over for him.”
But this isn’t just about Dhoni. It’s about a franchise that built itself around a philosophy – loyalty, experience, composure – and now finds itself trapped by it. CSK’s famed stability has turned into stagnation.
To be fair, Dhoni never asked to be the team’s saviour this year. He was retained as a specialist lower-order batter and wicketkeeper.
His glovework remains elite. He continues to marshal the field and guide Gaikwad from behind the stumps. But the myth of Dhoni – the finisher, the tactician, the miracle worker – continues to overshadow the man.
In a video podcast with Raj Shamani, Dhoni addressed retirement rumours, saying: “I take it one year at a time. My body will decide.”
But the murmurs are growing louder. Even Dhoni’s most loyal fans, heartbroken by the team’s decline, are beginning to acknowledge the inevitable.
The harsh truth is that CSK are stuck. Gaikwad, though promising, isn’t ready to lead a turnaround. Dhoni, while still valuable, cannot carry the team any more.
The auction strategy backfired. The team lacks firepower, intent, and direction.
If CSK are to rebuild, it has to begin now – with or without Dhoni. They need to back youth, rethink their playing XI, and perhaps most importantly, detach from nostalgia.
That includes making tough calls about batting positions, combinations, and legacy players.
As one fan on X aptly put it: “Dhoni didn’t fail us. We failed to move on.”
It would be unfair and tragic if Dhoni’s last chapter is written as a fall from grace.
He has given CSK everything – trophies, culture, identity. But, if the franchise clings to his past glories while ignoring present realities, it risks turning its most beloved icon into a scapegoat.
