Chennai Super Kings lost. Punjab Kings won. MS Dhoni came out to bat at No.5. Devon Conway was retired out to bring Ravindra Jadeja in but the man who ruled social media was former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu.
The former CSK cricketer started trending as soon as PBKS beat CSK by 18 runs in an IPL 2025 match in Mullanpur on Tuesday. Rayudu has often found himself in the middle of a social media storm ever since he openedly voiced his opinion on MS Dhoni and CSK.
Fans started to troll Rayudu, who has been a CSK loyalist for a long time and an open critic of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Rayudu recently had a fiery exchange with fellow commentator Sanjay Bangar during a recent ESPNcricinfo panel discussion on the ongoing IPL 2025 season, where Rayudu’s staunch defense of CSK and Dhoni clashed with Bangar’s critique of Mumbai Indians’ (MI) strategy.
The debate kicked off when the panel dissected MI’s decision to use former captain Rohit Sharma as an Impact Substitute, a move that has relegated the five-time IPL-winning skipper to a specialist batting role under current captain Hardik Pandya. Sanjay Bangar, a former India batting coach, argued that Rohit’s absence from the field was hurting MI from a leadership perspective. “I think Rohit’s absence on the field is hurting from a leadership point of view. He could probably give Hardik the right input as well,” Bangar said, emphasizing the value of Rohit’s experience.
{{/usCountry}}The debate kicked off when the panel dissected MI’s decision to use former captain Rohit Sharma as an Impact Substitute, a move that has relegated the five-time IPL-winning skipper to a specialist batting role under current captain Hardik Pandya. Sanjay Bangar, a former India batting coach, argued that Rohit’s absence from the field was hurting MI from a leadership perspective. “I think Rohit’s absence on the field is hurting from a leadership point of view. He could probably give Hardik the right input as well,” Bangar said, emphasizing the value of Rohit’s experience.
{{/usCountry}}Rayudu, however, was quick to counter, staunchly defending Hardik’s autonomy as captain. “I don’t think Hardik needs input. A captain needs to be left alone,” he interjected, drawing parallels to how MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli operated without constant interference. “Dhoni was not at his ears all the time. Same for Rohit. Then why should Hardik have 10 people at his ears?” Rayudu argued, visibly irked by Bangar’s suggestion.
The tension escalated when Bangar attempted to respond, only for Rayudu to interrupt with, “No captain has to be left alone, Sanjay bhai,” prompting a sharp retort from Bangar. “For you, it was different because you never led an IPL team. But here is a guy who has led the team to multiple IPL titles,” Bangar fired back, pointing out Rayudu’s lack of captaincy experience compared to Rohit’s storied leadership record.
The fiery exchange didn’t go unnoticed online. Fans, particularly those of rival teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and MI, flooded X with memes and jibes, accusing Rayudu of being a “Dhoni fanboy” and blindly loyal to CSK. One trending post read, “Ambati Rayudu defending CSK and Dhoni like it’s his day job. Sanjay Bangar just gave him a reality check!” Another user quipped, “Rayudu’s love for Dhoni is so blind, he’d say CSK won the IPL even if they finish last.”
Rayudu’s past comments haven’t helped his case. Earlier in the season, he had praised Dhoni’s wicketkeeping skills, saying, “You get faster justice under MS Dhoni than our courts,” after a lightning-quick stumping against RCB. While CSK fans lapped up the praise, rival supporters saw it as further evidence of Rayudu’s bias.