MS Dhoni captained Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles. Image Credit: X/@ABdeVilliers17 and @ChennaiIPL
AB de Villiers dropped a bombshell while talking about the Chennai Super Kings and the role of MS Dhoni in the team. The former South African batter believes there is no role for Dhoni on the current terms. Ever since leading CSK to their fifth title in 2023, there have been growing speculations about MS Dhoni’s retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the 44-year-old has managed to play through and even gave some top performances in 2024.
Meanwhile, it was evident in the 2025 season that age had been catching up to the five-time champion. In 13 innings in 2025, Dhoni managed only 196 runs at a strike rate of 135. This has led De Villiers to question the role of the former Indian skipper in the team.
De Villiers, while appearing on a program on JioHotstar, talked about how he would like MS Dhoni to bat higher up in the order. “He’s got to bat himself up to, at the latest, number 6. I would even like to see him at 5 or 4 sometimes,” he said. By batting up in the order, Dhoni needs to take more responsibility while handling a higher amount of pressure.
In the last season, with the impact player rule in place, there were times when Dhoni batted as low as eight and nine in the batting order. With him not being the captain of the franchise anymore, de Villiers feels that Dhoni is not doing enough for the team.
De Villiers, while talking about Dhoni’s current role, said, “If he’s going to play the role of batting at 8 or 9 and not really captaining, then I just feel he’s almost making up a spot and is almost there for the wrong reasons. And that’s not the position that he deserves to be in.”
With the arrival of Sanju Samson in the Chennai Super Kings unit, MS Dhoni’s spot has been put in danger. Dhoni, with 201, has the most dismissals as a wicketkeeper in the Indian Premier League. However, with age catching up to him, Dhoni might lose his spot behind the stumps to Sanju Samson, who has been in terrific form before the IPL. Samson was India’s designated keeper in the games he played in the T20 World Cup 2026 ahead of Ishan Kishan.
Also Read: MS Dhoni’s Old Friend James Foster, Gets Major Role In CSK Ahead of IPL 2026
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