Unpopular Opinion: MS Dhoni’s coda in 2024 won’t be as thrilling as IPL 2023

Ambati Rayudu is dismissed against the run of play after a belligerent 19 off eight balls. Between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and a fifth IPL title, is a comfortable equation – 22 runs required off 14 deliveries, with six wickets in hand.

The CSK middle order has been a merry-go-round in IPL 2023, with Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni and Moeen Ali frequently swapping their batting positions amongst each other. You can even throw Rayudu into that pool. But with the pressure of an IPL final to deal with, coupled with two seamers – Mohit Sharma and Mohammad Shami – in prime form, who do you back to go out next?

Before the title clash, Dhoni had walked out at No. 6 or above four out of 11 times. So, surely that is a possibility. But his form has tapered off as the tournament progressed. In the five previous innings, he has scored just 30 runs off 21 balls, with the majority coming in a blitzkrieg 9-ball 20 against the Delhi Capitals (DC). He is also battling a wonky left knee, meaning he won’t be able to run hard between the wickets – something that the CSK batters did throughout their final innings. Moreover, the 41-year-old will be first up against Mohit, who had dismissed him in Qualifier 1.

On the other hand, Jadeja is coming off a crucial 22 off 16 balls against the same opponents in their previous match. He is also pumped having reached 20 wickets in a season for the very first time. The star all-rounder is seated next to Dhoni in the dugout, with the CSK skipper even spotted having an engaging conversation with him just as Rayudu hit the first ball of that over for six.

Both have their pads on. Surely, it is Ravindra Jadeja to finish things off. But as the cameras panned on the CSK camp, MS Dhoni stands up, puts his helmet on, steps onto the field, passes the inimitable glance at the heavens, and marches out to the middle.

Rings a bell? Final. Pressure situation. Run-chase. An out-of-form MS Dhoni comes ahead of a left-hander in decent form.

But that is what makes Dhoni, Dhoni. His captaincy has always been more gut than either heart or mind. Some days it will pay off, while it is bound to fail on others. The former India skipper has always been known to think a few steps ahead and that is why one can never predict his next move.

Sudden changes in the batting order; the countless instances of him starting slow, taking the game deep, only to land the killer blow; backing a relatively unknown name to the hilt – MS Dhoni embodies ‘expect the unexpected’.

MS Dhoni in IPL 2023 was no less than a thriller movie

MS Dhoni poses with his family after CSK's fifth title win [Credits: CSK]

The IPL was back home and was waiting to spread its wings like the seasons of yore. The opening match had defending champions GT pitted against MS Dhoni’s CSK. The Narendra Modi Stadium was packed to the rafters, however, draped in yellow.

“It started over here and the first game when I walked down everyone was chanting my name. My eyes were full of water and I just stood there in the dugout for a while. I realised I want to enjoy this,” Dhoni said after the IPL 2023 final at the same venue.

Thousands of people turning up with No. 7 on their back is not breaking news. The talisman has already won hearts the world over. The unprecedented reception was tantamount to ensuring Dhoni gets a fitting farewell. The huge turn-up was the fans’ way of acknowledging and thanking him for his 20 years of service and entertainment.

And the opening night was just the beginning. The numbers got even more skewed as he went from one city to the other. And you didn’t even need to wait for Dhoni to come out to bat, or do a lightning-fast stumping. The crowds made the legendary keeper-bat feel their presence at the toss of every CSK game. So much so, that by the end of the tournament, the host broadcasters had a montage ready of the legend acknowledging the fans during the toss at every away game.

For the people in Chennai, though, words will fall short. They started thronging the Chepauk ever since Dhoni arrived for the pre-season camp. The other thing that took shape even before IPL 2023 began, was the factoid that it would be his last dance.

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An ageing Dhoni knew his limitations but also knew exactly how to complete the CSK jigsaw. For the first five matches, he had slotted himself as low as No. 8. But his returns in that period were superlative – 59 runs off 28 balls at an astounding strike-rate of 210.7. Dhoni was turning back the clock, having rediscovered the formula of hitting sixes from ball one. At the same time, he was not over-exerting his dodgy knee, because most of his runs came from maximums.

The first unexpected moment arrived at the Eden Gardens on April 23. With just four wickets down in the 19th over, fans had almost given up hope to see the big man bat. But Dhoni isn’t one to let those counting on him down. Out he came with two balls remaining, having promoted himself up to No. 6.

Exactly a week later in Chennai, he again strode out ahead of Rayudu and Ajinkya Rahane, this time hitting Sam Curran for two consecutive sixes to finish on an unbeaten 13 off four balls. Against the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the same venue, he batted ahead of Jadeja for the first time in the tournament. And in their final league game against DC, he was up to No. 4.

Closely looking at those scorecards now, you can easily decipher that MS Dhoni came up the order in only those matches where CSK were comfortably placed.

Maybe, he fancied himself in those situations. Or perhaps, it was his way of thanking the crowd. But in that moment, it was definitely a pleasant surprise for the fans. Their overpriced tickets, long commute to the ground, them braving the weather – everything seemed worth it. Days were made and dreams came true.

Even when it came to marshalling his troops, and the players who eventually delivered, very few people would’ve had them on the team sheet at the start of the season. Shivam Dube had his best season in IPL history; Ajinkya Rahane came back from the outcast folder; Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande had a breakout year; and you’re going to see a lot more of 21-year-old Akash Singh.

And all of this culminated in a fairytale finish, with CSK moving level with Rohit Sharma's MI for the most number of IPL trophies.

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Now imagine, had MS Dhoni made it clear at the start that he would be back for the next season, would things be the same? Maybe they still would have, albeit a few notches down. Jadeja would probably have gotten fewer claps at getting dismissed. There would have probably been more Virat Kohli shirts at the Chinnaswamy. Fewer people would have been in the stands at 3.30 a.m. on a Tuesday morning.

We don’t appreciate every small thing we have, because we have it. Its value hits us in the face the moment we know it’d be gone soon. There’s a fine line between appreciation and gratitude. In this case, we saw fans pack both sides of that fence.

Dhoni in IPL 2023 was also like a crime thriller. People were expecting twists every now and then, but they were always treated to a different one. It’s the ambiguity of it all that gets spectators hooked. It is the uncertainty of his batting number, and yet the anticipation of him springing a surprise, that fans find thrill in. It is the desire to see him one last time, and also the hope that he’ll stick around for some more time, that people seek to balance on.

But you can’t have the cake and eat it too, can you?

If MS Dhoni indeed returns as player in IPL 2024, everyone would know what to expect. They would not go through the same vagaries of human emotion as they did this year. Sure CSK would massively benefit from conducting another round of auditions to find the heir to their throne. Sure fans – clad in yellow – would again storm venues.

But the writing will be on the wall. It won’t be as white-knuckle an affair as MSD scripts generally are.