Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra questioned MS Dhoni’s impact after the Chennai Super Kings’ dismal run in IPL 2025 campaign. CSK ended their IPL 2025 campaign on a winning note, with a comprehensive 110-run win against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad, on Sunday.
But for the first time in IPL history, CSK ended a season as the wooden-spooners. Meanwhile, Dhoni accumulated 196 runs in 13 matches at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 135.17 in IPL 2025. Many experts also questioned Dhoni’s batting position as the veteran came out to bat in the lower order due to knee issues.
Chopra reckons Dhoni scored runs when the match was out of CSK’s grasp and didn’t make a lot of impact with the bat.
Aakash Chopra said on Star Sports, “Over the last couple of seasons, he has consistently batted at position 7 or lower in every single innings. If you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that he has batted at positions 8 or 9 about 45% of the time during this period. While he has hit quite a few sixes, most of those runs have come when the matches were already out of reach.”
“His contributions in winning causes haven’t been particularly impressive. One key concern is his dot-ball percentage against spin — it’s at 45%, which is among the highest and something fans should take seriously.”
The renowned commentator also noted that Dhoni was not up to his usual standards while keeping behind the stumps.
“As a wicketkeeper, he’s shown flashes of brilliance, but the numbers tell a slightly different story. He’s conceded the most runs among keepers this season. While he has taken 5 catches, he has also dropped 4 — a stat that’s quite surprising and not something we’re used to seeing from him,” said Chopra.
CSK could only manage four wins in 14 games in IPL 2025.
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