Vexed Chepauk becomes epicentre of speculations, from captaincy talks to retirement questions

So much so that even Abhinav Mukund and Aakash Chopra, while speculating around the 43-year-old’s future during the mid-innings break, told JioHotstar: “We will have answers soon.”

This would continue until, post-match, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming put an end to it. “He is still going strong and I don’t even ask him these days,” Fleming said after CSK’s defeat to Delhi Capitals. But in the middle, Dhoni showed why the end shouldn’t be far off. He walked in to bat in the 11th over and stayed unbeaten till the end with a torturous 30 off 26 deliveries.

For a team struggling for runs at the top and wicket-takers up front, Dhoni’s form may not be the top of their concerns. So far, they have used 17 players in just four matches, more than they have used in the past. Each of their seven overseas players has already played a game. But despite the chaos, it is impossible to overlook how far they have continued to carry on with Dhoni, a player Indian cricket moved on in 2019.

The mood at Chepauk has been indifferent this season. If they shut out all the noise and cut off the DJ’s music, they will hear the tone of dejection and disappointment that is slowly getting louder as questions swirl over Dhoni’s lack of contributions. The fans once captured his arrival on their mobiles. The disquiet these days when Dhoni scrapes his way around has been hard to miss.

Delhi Capitals’ KL Rahul with Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni during IPL 2025 match between DC and CSK at Chepauk. (Sportzpics for IPL)

For a player who made a career out of injecting hope from improbable situations, he is now the opposite of that. If his entry to the middle at No 9 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru was a reality check of the times, the one on Saturday against Delhi Capitals was proof of what he isn’t capable of if he comes with enough overs left in the kitty.

When Dhoni walked in at the fall of Ravindra Jadeja’s wicket in the 11th over, Chennai were placed 74/5, needing 110 off 56 deliveries with the asking rate standing a shade under 12. At the other end was Vijay Shankar, who, their head coach Fleming said, was struggling to find timing.

The stage was set for the Dhoni of the past to take his team home. All CSK got was a batsman well past his sell-by date. Four of the next nine overs were delivered by spinners, a variety that Dhoni can no longer take down like he used to with his bludgeoning power.

Two overs were sent down by Mohit Sharma, a seamer who is effective when it comes to taking the pace off the ball. But it was another unfavourable match-up as far as Dhoni is concerned. Even scorching pace isn’t his stuff anymore, as Kagiso Rabada exposed it as far back in 2015. In the 14th over, after bowling a no-ball, with Dhoni on strike, Mohit didn’t flinch, instead sending a bouncer at 133.9kmph that the 43-year-old was late on the hook.

All of it means, Dhoni’s batting doesn’t have the necessary intent that is needed to succeed in T20s. Bowlers now have bigger space to work around with his hitting arc beginning to minimise. The six and a boundary he hit came off Mukesh Kumar, the sort of seamer who just about delivers at the right pace for Dhoni.

As he laboured to another innings that was taking him and Chennai nowhere, the seats began to get empty at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Of course, they were in the minority. The silence in the end was deafening. Perhaps it was louder than the whistles he walked into. Their hero didn’t look the part anymore, and their fortress was again breached.