CSK waits for Dhoni charm in IPL 2025 season

For a man who plays club cricket just about two months in a year, MS Dhoni is still such a hot subject. Five years after he last played in an ICC World Cup and officially announcing his retirement from national cricket four years ago, Dhoni has been inseparable from the Indian Premier League and a franchise he is loyal to – Chennai Super Kings. These days, most of the stories on IPL retentions are massively speculative. There is no official confirmation as yet from the team and the last date for announcing retentions is October 31.

Back to Dhoni and his romance with CSK, their CEO Kasi Vishwanathan has selectively told media persons, ‘Thala,’ as Dhoni is known, will let them know by October 31. Much of the stories on Dhoni have been on his retention as an uncapped player, just Rs 4 crores. How the former India captain can go so low is due to the rules which can be bent suitably. Dhoni retired long back, so technically, he is an uncapped player now. If he agrees to be part of the IPL 2025 season, it will be a coup of sorts for CSK.  However, one must not forget, Dhoni’s brand value is much higher and he still commands a presence in commercials.

For those who feel Dhoni is a relic and his shelf life’s over, one has to touch base with the CSK fans. They worship him like any of the deities in temples in Tamil Nadu. He has given up captaincy yet controls the pattern of play, is seen signalling in field setting and telling the captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad captain what to do. Behind the stumps, despite being 43, Dhoni is still slick and pulls of stumpings which still have that electric touch. Where Dhoni may have lost his touch is in scoring runs as a fast clip, though his running between wickets is still smart. Of course, for sheer experience, when he bats, he can still score a few runs.

So, what is it that CSK want to hold on to Dhoni for? He is a marquee name, he is a crowd puller, and yes, he has a mass appeal. If you have been to any of the matches at Chepauk in Chennai, how big a star Dhoni is will be known. Leo Messi and CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) are supposedly past prime, but wherever they ply their trade, the two iconic footballers still are a super hit. So what if it happens to be football played in the USA and Saudi Arabia. Likewise, Dhoni is a true legend for CSK and their fans, whose numbers are mind boggling. They may not even be living in Chennai and Tamil Nadu, but even as NRIs based abroad, they will cheer for Dhoni.

Anyone who knows a thing or two abouts CSK will vouch they are a conservative side in many ways. For them, Dhoni is like a lucky charm, a talisman, who they do not want to let go. One thing is sure, Dhoni will never got to any other IPL team. He has loved Chennai and the team and it’s a bit like Sachin Tendulkar and how he will always be a part of Mumbai Indians. Dhoni’s appeal is unique, it is a bit like cine stars down south of India. Whether the movies are a super hit in the box office or not, fans will still go for the movies. It’s like the Rajnikanth Diwali blockbuster release, the movie has to be watched.  

Back to Dhoni, he is a cricketer who can never be ‘controlled’ by anyone. He is fiercely independent and has always made own decisions, notably when to walk away from captaincy and eventually retire. He has never been the sort of player who has hung around just for the heck of it. Two things which suggest Dhoni may hang on for one more reason, his love for CSK and how hard he prepares. Dhoni has always been super fit, just that he hits the boot camp two months before the IPL. This premier domestic event is hard on players. Plenty of travel, night matches, fatigue and non-stop action, Dhoni has dealt with all this very well. With the Impact Player in the IPL set to continue for two more years, Dhoni can still hang on. He will decide, nobody else. And this is something which he will communicate to the CSK bosses. Fingers crossed.