"They miss the chance to evolve": Former India coach makes stunning statement about MS Dhoni's presence in CSK amid poor show in IPL 2025

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has stated that the presence of MS Dhoni in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is not allowing players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja to grow. The 52-year-old believes that following Dhoni's way of thinking has stopped them from evolving as leaders.

“Ruturaj & Jadeja remain under Dhoni’s shadow, never truly taking their own leap. Always mirroring MS’s mindset, they miss the chance to evolve but Dhoni’s presence keeps it locked, stalling the rise of new leaders,” Bangar told Star Sports (via NDTV).

Following CSK's final league phase match of IPL 2025, Dhoni refused to give a clear answer on whether he would return to play the tournament in 2026. He said he has four to five months to take the decision.

Dhoni took over the CSK captaincy midway through IPL 2025 after Gaikwad was ruled out because of injury. His return to the leadership, however, did not make much of a difference as CSK failed to make it to the playoffs and finished 10th on the points table.

Sanjay Bangar reckons MS Dhoni should not return to play in IPL 2026

With growing speculation about MS Dhoni's IPL future, Sanjay Bangar believes the former Indian captain should call it quits after IPL 2025. Bangar stated that at Dhoni's age, it is tough to play in an environment as competitive as the IPL.

"I think at 43 it's very tough to play in that competitive environment. When you're 43, why this competitive environment, even if you go and play some local cricket, you will find how tough it is on the body as well. It all boils down to MS, but if I was MS, I would say 'enough'," Bangar said.

MS Dhoni is only one of four players, along with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Manish Pandey, to have played all 18 IPL seasons.

​