CSK coach Stephen Fleming breaks silence, issues three-word response regarding MS Dhoni's future in IPL
IPL 2025, CSK vs RR: Here's what Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming had to say about MS Dhoni's future in the tournament.
Five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are out of the playoff contention for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. However, one question that is on everyone's minds is whether talisman MS Dhoni will continue to play for the franchise next season or hang up his boots and become a part of the support staff. Hence, it is no surprise that CSK head coach Stephen Fleming was asked the same during the pre-match press conference ahead of the fixture against Rajasthan Royals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Midway through the 18th edition of the T20 tournament, regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad got ruled out due to a hairline fracture on his elbow. This resulted in MS Dhoni stepping in as the stand-in captain.
However, the World Cup-winning captain was unable to change the fortunes and the franchise continues to languish at the bottom of the points table.
MS Dhoni's batting position in some of the IPL 2025 matches has also come under scrutiny as on a couple of occasions, the 43-year-old batted at No.9 position.
Ahead of the match against Rajasthan Royals, Fleming was asked whether Dhoni would play next season or become a franchise mentor. The CSK coach replied, “I don't know.”
It must be mentioned that CSK retained Dhoni as an uncapped player ahead of the IPL 2025 season for INR 4 crore. It remains to be seen whether Dhoni honours the three-year contract.
‘Fan of experience’
Midway through the IPL 2025 season, CSK signed several replacement players, including Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, and Urvil Patel. All these young guns performed well and there is a strong case for the franchise leaving their tried and tested “experienced” players philosophy and investing in young blood.
However, Fleming said that he is a big believer in having experienced players in the dressing room as they know how to get the job done under pressure situations.
"They have certainly had an impact which is positive from a season that has been a challenge. But we realised early on that we were off the pace. So to be able to introduce these players, they are definitely in line for the future as we regenerate the team and redevelop or reconfirm our philosophy of how we want to play," Fleming said.
“My point has always been a mixture of youth and experience. I am a fan of experience, experience wins tournaments. But the youth and talent in this country is something you can't ignore,” he added.
CSK had won their previous match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the Eden Gardens, and the franchise would hope to finish on a high to avoid the wooden spoon. The five-time champions have never finished at the bottom of the table in an IPL season.
“The opportunity to finish the season well is really important to us. We had a good win in the last game,” said Fleming.
