MS Dhoni Bats Lower:
Over the years, MS Dhoni has been a pivotal part of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But over the last few seasons, fans have seen him bat a lower down the order, with the veteran cricketer coming lower in the lineup. This pivotal decision, according to Dhoni, was driven by two crucial factors.
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Why MS Dhoni Bats Lower: Injuries and Team Gameplan
As a result, during the IPL 2023 season, Dhoni was repeatedly seen in practice sessions with a wrapped left knee. It later emerged that he’d been playing the whole season injured and needed surgery after the tournament. His movement had become limited, and his running ability diminished, and so he would bat lower in the order.
That trend continued in IPL 2024, but this time, his reasoning went beyond his own health. On its eve, Dhoni made it clear that the duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, both hard-hitting options for the Indian squad with the T20 World Cup just around the corner, would get a fair chance to prove their worth. He wanted to give them a chance to take more responsibility to be in a better position to reach the national; he called it a national team.
“I had a little issue with my knee (during IPL 2023), but last year, it was more in control,” Dhoni told JioHotstar. “Besides, with the World Cup selection in hand, I needed players who would be difficult to prove to be better than Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube. My pick was never in doubt, so it made sense to give them additional reps.”
Dhoni reasoned that this didn’t hamper CSK in any way. Instead, it made the team stronger as other players were put in important roles. “If everyone is doing their job and dealing well with pressure, then why not? “But if things weren’t working, we would have taken a different approach.”
A Winning Start to IPL 2025
Despite these tactical changes, the CSK are still the most powerful paper in the IPL. Giving a gritty reminder of why they are amongst the top teams in the history of the league, they began their IPL 2025 journey in the best way possible, handling the challenge from the Mumbai Indians with utter dominance in their match-up.
MS Dhoni, on CSK’s iconic title win in IPL 2023 – MS Dhoni is one of the most composed and unemotional players on the field. But when the Chennai Super Kings won their fifth title in 2023, he had to let it out. The way he lifted Ravindra Jadeja in celebration stood out as one of the iconic images of the tournament.
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A Historic Final in Ahmedabad
CSK’s triumph had come in a rain-ruined finish against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. The game, initially set for May 28, was taken to the reserve day due to the rain that did not cease, making it the longest final in IPL history.
GT, under Hardik Pandya, put up a daunting task of 214 on the scoreboard, courtesy of Sai Sudharsan’s brilliant 96 and Wriddhiman Saha’s composed 54. That merely made CSK more determined to chase, as several players came through at critical junctures.
“The beauty of that game was whoever was batting, whenever we needed a boundary, they delivered,” recalled Dhoni. “It didn’t matter who was hitting it — all that mattered was that it continued to arrive at the right time.”
The Heroics of Jadeja and the Faith of Dhoni
Even as Dhoni walked back for a first-ball duck scored off former CSK bowler Mohit Sharma, the team did not lose hope. Hitting a six followed by a boundary, Jadeja was the one who sealed the dramatic win in the final over.
He said too much advice from outside in such tense situations can backfire. “What do you have to offer from the dugout? Shouting only creates confusion for the batsman. Jadeja knew what was to be done , and I completely trusted him.”
For a captain associated with an ice-cool disposition, the flood of emotions after the victory was an unusual sight. “When your emotions are high, such reactions are inevitable,” Dhoni said. His embrace with Jadeja also summed up not just a moment of joy but a year of trust and vocabulary in the CSK camp.
With another title in their lap, CSK further bolstered their legacy in the IPL, and Dhoni cemented why he is considered among the greatest leaders in the history of the sport.