MS Dhoni left a packed Chepauk crowd enthralled last Friday after he smashed three sixes and two boundaries in his fiery cameo of 30* off 16. But the former captain drew criticism after his efforts came batting at No. 9 for Chennai Super Kings in the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The chase was nowhere within the grasp of Chennai when Dhoni walked out, and despite his pyrotechnics, the visitors secured a comfortable win at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Three days hence, CSK coach Stephen Fleming responded to the burning question, saying Dhoni is unlikely to make his way out if there are more than six-seven overs left.
Speaking to the press on Monday after Chennai's second successive loss in IPL 2025, Fleming revealed that Dhoni's continued struggle with a knee injury, for which he had undergone surgery in 2023, makes him unlikely to bat higher up the order. His batting position will hence be decided by the match situation and his fitness.
"Yeah, it's a time thing," Fleming said. "MS judges it. His body is, his knees aren't what they used to be. And he's moving okay, but there's still an attrition aspect to it. He can't bat 10 overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game's in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he's balancing that."
Does that mean Dhoni has become a burden for Chennai? Fleming quickly doused the fire, saying he remains a big-value player for the franchise. "I said it last year [as well], he's too valuable to us - leadership and wicket-keeping - to throw him in nine, ten overs. He has actually never done that. So, look, from around 13-14 overs, he's looking to go depending on who's in."
Dhoni batted at No. 7 vs RR
{{/usCountry}}Does that mean Dhoni has become a burden for Chennai? Fleming quickly doused the fire, saying he remains a big-value player for the franchise. "I said it last year [as well], he's too valuable to us - leadership and wicket-keeping - to throw him in nine, ten overs. He has actually never done that. So, look, from around 13-14 overs, he's looking to go depending on who's in."
Dhoni batted at No. 7 vs RR
{{/usCountry}}Following the criticism, Dhoni walked out at No. 7 on Sunday in the game against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati with 54 needed to win from the final 4.1 overs. However, he failed to make a difference in the chase of 183. He struggled to make a start, especially against former CSK spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who conceded only six runs in the 18th over, before smashing a boundary and a six in the penultimate over against Tushar Deshpande, another former CSK player. He and Jadeja reduced the equation to 20 for the final over, but the former Chennai captain fell victim to Sandeep Sharma again as the visitors fell six runs short.