MS Dhoni has been the face of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008.
MS Dhoni has been the face of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) since the inception of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Under him, CSK have emerged as the joint-most successful team in the league and have been among the most popular teams in the competition.
Dhoni has led CSK to the IPL title five times, with the latest one in 2023, and is the joint-most successful leader with Rohit Sharma, who has also won five championships with Mumbai Indians (MI). While he relinquished captaincy before the 2024 season, appointing Ruturaj Gaikwad as his successor, Dhoni remains a central figure in the team and league.
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However, former CSK player Subramaniam Badrinath has revealed on Insidesport that CSK were planning to sign Virender Sehwag before going with MS Dhoni. He said Sehwag wanted to play for Delhi team because he was from Delhi.
“I think it was the late Mr V.B. Chandrasekhar who was instrumental in forming the Chennai Super Kings team. I’m grateful to him; he is the one who signed me. He was the one who opted for Mahendra Singh Dhoni. However, before that, the CSK management was considering Virender Sehwag. It was told to me by Sehwag – I came to Chennai and met N Srinivasan. But Sehwag said he wanted to play for Delhi. He was from Delhi, and he wanted to be part of Delhi team.”
While Dhoni has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings, his future with the team is uncertain. He might hang his boots before the next season since the mega auction might only allow teams to retain four players.
With Dhoni ageing and no longer the same beast, he might retire and come into a coaching capacity at CSK. A lot will depend on what retention rules allow, but if only four players will be allowed to keep, Dhoni is unlikely to continue.
A few reports also suggested that CSK are looking to keep Dhoni as an uncapped player. There was a rule stating that players who have retired from international cricket for more than five years will be treated as uncapped, but it was scrapped after 2021.
Further, if the rule is reinstated, there will be a need for a tweak in duration, for Dhoni retired four years ago and doesn’t fit the criteria. It will be interesting to see how things pan out, but one thing is certain – MS Dhoni won’t come in the IPL 2025 auction and will rather retire.
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