Unpopular Opinion: CSK might just be better off without MS Dhoni

Let us just begin by saying — MS Dhoni is, and always will be an absolute legend of the game, and the laurels he has brought to CSK, might not be replicated ever after. Yet, like all good things don’t last forever…. ‘Thala’, as the fans call him, is 44, and is struggling with injuries in the last couple of years. So, does Chennai need him mid-season? The answer might not be what his fans might want to read or hear.

Time to move on from Dhoni, Numbers not great anyways

MSD played the entire 2023 season in immense pain, and on one leg, due to a knee issue. He had to undergo a surgery, but from there on, at least his batting role has been considerably less. Now, cut to IPL 2026, he is yet to play a match, in what some said, was a calf strain, while some called it a groin issue. Six matches have already passed for the Men in Yellow, and with only two wins, CSK aren’t in any position to make the playoffs.

So, getting Dhoni in the XI doesn’t sound like the best move. In the last three years, Dhoni has batted 275 deliveries in 44 matches, and that brings the average deliveries faced/match to only 6.25. To accommodate a player only for an over, or a little more than that, hardly makes sense.

Not the ideal No. 7, 8, 9 anymore

In fact, Dhoni in the last three years has chosen to bat at nos. 7, 8 or 9. Yes, the legend has three innings to his name, at no. 9 in the IPL where he has scored 31 runs. At 8, he has played 14 and gotten 236 runs, while at 7 he has scored 444 in 25 innings. That doesn’t solve the team’s purpose by any means. And now it is for all to admit, that his reflexes and the hunger might not be the same anymore.

From 2020, he hasn’t had the best time with the bat anyways. That Covid year, he scored 200 runs in 14 matches at an SR of 116. The following year, it was 114 runs at an SR of 106 — 232 in 2022 at an SR of 123; 2023 saw him get 104 at an SR of 182, then 161 at 220 and 196 at 135.

Image Credit: Vikram Chandrasekar via ZUMA Press Wire (Alamy)

Bitter, but truth

Former India batter and broadcaster Sanjay Manjrekar addressed the issue. Speaking on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast, he revealed how he was ‘finding it tough to deliver’. “I mean, increasingly, he’s finding it tough to deliver. So it was a bit of a joke when he used to come down the order and just play three or four balls. The coverage would hype that up as well – ‘What an innings.’ And it lasted four balls.”

He also said, that it was mostly due to the fans that the Chennai franchise was living in the past. “CSK and Mumbai Indians are slightly guilty of being emotionally connected and invested in the big-name, big-brand players a bit too much. CSK even more so with Dhoni. This means that you’re not getting people who are in their prime. It’s like living in the past a little bit. It’s just about getting guys who are in their prime in T20 cricket. It’s such a modern-day format, so it’s best to be current with everything that you do with your team,” he added.

What about the youngsters?

Getting in Dhoni, or just the expectation of having him in the team might not be fair to the youngsters in the team as well. There is a certain 19-year-old Keeper-batter in the team — Kartik Sharma, who was bagged by team for 14.2 Cr, just to warm the bench? This season could be utilised to groom players like Kartik, and also Prashant Veer, who also went for the same price as the former.

In the end, the decision, of course rests with the CSK management, and how they want to run their franchise. Once again, the majority of their success could be attributed to Dhoni, but if they don’t move on, the wait for the next title might only grow.

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