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Chennai Super Kings are enduring a rough Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season, languishing at the bottom of the table with only two wins from nine matches. Though a playoff berth remains mathematically possible, the reality suggests major changes could be on the horizon. Amid the speculation, Suresh Raina has dropped a massive hint that MS Dhoni isn’t done yet and could feature for one more season.
Raina Slams CSK’s Poor Planning and Execution
Breaking down CSK’s current struggles, Raina pointed to the team’s lackluster performances across all areas — batting, bowling, and fielding. According to him, the franchise’s future will heavily depend on their strategy at 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.
Reflecting on CSK’s approach during the mega auction, Raina suggested that Dhoni’s role in selecting players might be more limited than many believe.
“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.
Auction Strategy and Dhoni’s Influence
Raina further emphasized that it’s usually the franchise’s core group that manages the auction process, not 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.
While 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 is more focused 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.
Accountability Lies Beyond Dhoni
In a passionate critique, Raina pointed out that some of the highly-paid players have failed to match expectations, putting excessive pressure on 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.
He believes Dhoni is already aware of what needs to change within the team and hinted that crucial conversations are already happening 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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