Guwahati: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming has explained to the team’s faithful that they should not expect former captain and all-time team talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni to walk in to bat around the 9th or 10th over mark in the Indian Premier League 2025. Dhoni managed to score just 16 runs off 11 balls in the Chennai team’s chase of 183 at Guwahati against the Rajasthan Royals. CSK fell short by six runs versus RR. Dhoni did bat up the order in the Rajasthan Royals compared the game against Royal Challangers Bengaluru where he had come in at No 9.
After the defeat to the Rajasthan Royals, CSK coach Stephen Fleming explained the team management’s decision-making process behind Dhoni coming in later than most pundits and fans were expecting him to.
“Yeah, it’s a time thing. 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 ten 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,” Fleming said at the post-game press conference.
Dhoni could have come out in the 12th over after the dismissal of Vijay Shankar, which reduced CSK to 92/4 in a chase of 183. However, Dhoni delayed his entry and came out after Ruturaj Gaikwad’s dismissal in the 16th over when 54 was still needed from 25 balls.
Dhoni made 16 off 11 and hit a six besides a four, but it wasn’t enough as CSK lost by six runs.
One wonders whether things could have been different if Dhoni had come out a bit early, but CSK coach Fleming said that due to wear and tear to the 43-year-old’s body and knee, the former Chennai captain cannot bat 10 overs.
The former New Zealand skipper revealed that Dhoni’s entry points are decided based on the match requirements.
“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 ten 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.”
While the decision to send Dhoni at No.7 instead of No.9 was inspired by CSK sensing a chance to win the match against RR, in the end, it wasn’t enough. Fleming, however, has no qualms that Dhoni remains “too valuable” to the franchise and his entry point will be largely after 13-14 overs.
“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 never done that. So, look, from around 13-14 overs, he’s looking to go depending on who’s in.”
This has severely compromised CSK’s chasing ability. Their batting is already seen as a weakness, with no established finisher in the middle order. Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar and Ravindra Jadeja are good players, but can they consistently finish games? Based on past performances, that doesn’t seem like the best bet. In this scenario, Dhoni—still a proven finisher with a solid strike rate at 43—remains one of CSK’s best options. However, his late entry points have undoubtedly impacted his effectiveness.
Here’s some food for thought: Dhoni hasn’t hit a single boundary in a successful chase since the Impact Player rule was introduced. This suggests that CSK avoids sending him in when the result is certain. And in the rare instances he’s batted in live chases, he hasn’t been able to finish the job.
