World
India
MS Dhoni has officially returned as captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the ongoing IPL 2025 season, ending a 682-day wait since he last led the franchise. The move comes after designated skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament due to an elbow injury. As CSK grapples with four consecutive losses, Dhoni’s comeback to the helm has sparked reactions from cricketing legends and fans alike.
While Dhoni’s sharp wicketkeeping remains intact, questions around his batting form especially due to ongoing knee troubles have been widely discussed this season. Amid social media criticism and memes mocking the 43-year-old veteran, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has stepped in to defend the former India captain.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pathan urged fans to show restraint and respect while evaluating Dhoni’s performance.
“Criticise MS Dhoni with numbers if you must, but don’t cross the line. He doesn’t want to underperform. He’s a big player, a champion cricketer who brought many trophies to India and CSK. He is not a match-winner now, and that’s okay. But trolling with memes and disrespect is not right,” Pathan stated.
Advertisement · Scroll to continue
He added that constructive criticism is fair and even necessary, but it must be rooted in performance stats, not personal attacks.
Backing Dhoni’s leadership, former India captain Sourav Ganguly echoed strong support for the veteran wicketkeeper-batter. Ganguly emphasized that Dhoni’s presence in the CSK squad makes the most sense only if he’s leading the team.
“If MS Dhoni has to play for CSK, he must be captain. MS Dhoni, the captain, is a different beast. He understands the game better than anyone else,” Ganguly said during a recent event, just before CSK officially reinstated Dhoni as skipper.
Dhoni, who guided CSK to their fifth IPL title in 2023, now faces the challenge of reviving the team’s campaign mid-season. Though his batting output has waned, fans were recently reminded of his power-hitting prowess with a few late-order sixes.
