“He is still recovering money for the franchise” - Former India pacer’s stunning claim on MS Dhoni’s future after terrible IPL 2025
Former Indian pacer Atul Wassan believes MS Dhoni will continue playing the IPL next year after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ended their 2025 campaign with an 83-run win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 25. The 43-year-old was undecided about his future in his post-game comments.
However, Wassan feels Dhoni's attraction towards the franchise and the franchise benefitting financially from his presence will lead to the legendary wicketkeeper's return in 2026. The veteran struggled physically and in performances this season, averaging under 25 at a strike rate of 135.17 with the bat.
Talking about Dhoni's future on the Bails and Banter Show on OTTPlay, Wassan said (via Hindustan Times):
"Dhoni is CSK, and CSK is Dhoni. CSK could have been doing good or not alongside Dhoni, but he is still recovering money for the franchise. Dhoni knows that his best days are gone, but he is still playing and facing the criticism. It shows how much attached he is to the franchise."
He continued:
"Otherwise, why would someone who has achieved everything put himself in this situation? And I believe he would be up next year as well, despite not being at his 100 percent."
Dhoni also declined in his wicketkeeping with several missed opportunities despite finishing with 11 dismissals. Unfortunately for him, CSK finishing at the bottom of the table for the first time in their rich history further raised questions about his future.
"If I give the Zimbabwe team to Clive Lloyd, he won't be good either" - Atul Wassan on MS Dhoni's captaincy
Atul Wassan defended MS Dhoni's captaincy this season by questioning the strength of the CSK squad. The 43-year-old took over as CSK skipper after regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out with an injury after just five outings.
However, the Men in Yellow struggled under Dhoni, winning only three out of nine matches.
"A captain is as good as the team he gets; if I give the Zimbabwe team to Clive Lloyd, he won't be good either. Dhoni's captaincy should be rated based on the team he got; when he had the team in the past, we all know what he did. In my opinion, captaincy is at times overrated," said Wassan (via aforementioned source).
Despite his poor captaincy record this year, Dhoni remains IPL's most successful captain with 136 wins in 235 games, including five titles with CSK.