Chennai Super Kings are in the middle of a torrid Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season that sees them placed at the bottom of the points table, with just two wins in nine games so far. While the hopes of a playoff qualification only remain mathematically possible, the results have triggered a debate around the franchise undergoing a possible major reshuffle ahead of the next campaign. There are also questions on the future of MS Dhoni, but if CSK’s ‘Chinna Thala’ Suresh Raina is to be believed, Dhoni is set to stay for at least one more season.
Analysing CSK’s campaign, Raina highlighted how poor the team has been in almost all departments, be it fielding, batting, or bowling. For Raina, the foundation for the next season would be laid on the auction table for the franchise.
“I hope that next season, they (CSK) come with better planning. And Dhoni is going to play for one more season, for sure,” Raina said in a chat with sports presenter Jatin Sapru in a video on his YouTube channel.
Assessing CSK’s mega auction, Raina said that Dhoni doesn’t seem to have had a hand in the buys the management picked ahead of the 18th edition.
“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 said.
“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.”
Dhoni himself hasn’t produced many match-winning knocks for CSK this season, but Raina isn’t expecting that from a 43-year-old. The former India and CSK batter is happy seeing Dhoni keep wickets, captain, and try his bit with the bat but wants the other 10 players to step up too.
“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?
“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.
“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,” he added.
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