Chennai Super Kings are having a tough time in the IPL 2025 season, sitting at the bottom of the standings with just two wins from nine matches.
Suresh Raina Hints at MS Dhoni’s Future with CSK
While it’s still mathematically possible for them to reach the playoffs, it seems like big changes might be coming. Amid all the talk, Suresh Raina has hinted that MS Dhoni might play for one more season.
Suresh Raina explained that CSK‘s struggles are due to poor performances in batting, bowling, and fielding. He believes the team’s future will depend a lot on the choices they make during the next auction.
“I hope that next season, they (CSK) come with better planning. And Dhoni is going to play for one more season, for sure,” Raina shared during a conversation with sports presenter Jatin Sapru on YouTube.
The Role of MS Dhoni in CSK’s Auction Decisions
Looking back at CSK’s strategy during the mega auction, Raina mentioned that MS Dhoni’s role in choosing players might not be as big as many people think.
“They always say MS Dhoni makes the final call. But to be very honest, I never attended any of the auctions. I was never a part of those discussions. I always talked about the players who were retained. MS might get a call about whether to go ahead with a player or not – but he’s not that involved,” he explained.
Suresh Raina further pointed out that it’s usually the franchise’s core group that manages the auction process, rather than Dhoni directly.
“The core group handles the auction, you can imagine, Dhoni can’t have this type of auction. He would maybe name four or five players he wants, and out of them, a few would be retained. Even if an uncapped player is working hard, look at MS Dhoni, being a 43-year-old captain, still giving everything,” Raina said.
Although Dhoni hasn’t been able to consistently deliver match-winning performances this season, Raina feels it’s unfair to expect too much from a player of his age. He believes the focus should be on the rest of the squad stepping up.
“He’s playing just for the brand, for his name, for the fandom, and still putting in the effort. At 43, he’s doing wicketkeeping, captaining, carrying the entire team on his shoulders. But what are the other ten players doing?” Raina questioned.
Dhoni’s Leadership and Plans for CSK’s Future
In a passionate critique, Raina highlighted that some of the high-paid players have failed to meet expectations, which is placing too much pressure on MS Dhoni.
“Those who are paid 18 crores, 17 crores, 12 crores, they’re not responding to the captain. Especially when you’ve never lost to certain teams before, that needs to be rectified. You have to identify, is this player a match-winner? Can I trust this player in the next match? There are players who’ve been playing there for years, even the older ones. But what are the results? You’re losing. The same mistakes are happening every time,” Raina observed.
Suresh Raina believes that Dhoni is already aware of what needs to change within the team and hinted that important conversations are already taking place behind the scenes.
“I think MS Dhoni will now sit down, he won’t want anyone around him. He knows CSK didn’t buy properly in auction. He wouldn’t have allowed it. He must have made up his mind. After the toss, when they lost, the way he walked, and both of them were standing there, it’s clear there’s going to be a meeting today,” Raina concluded.
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