Speculation over MS Dhoni’s retirement gained momentum on Saturday after his parents arrived at the MA Chidambaram Stadium ahead of Chennai Super Kings' match against Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2025. Fans believe this could be Dhoni’s final game in CSK colors. CSK has had a mixed start to the season. They secured a commanding win over Mumbai Indians in their opening match but suffered back-to-back defeats against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals. With one win from three games, the team is currently in eighth place on the points table. Dhoni, the most experienced player in the squad, has struggled with the bat in the last two games. His recent performances have drawn criticism on social media. No official statement has been made about his retirement. However, fans on social media are speculating about a possible farewell announcement because of his parents' presence at the stadium. However, a section of his supporters remains hopeful that he will continue playing.
He stepped down as captain before the 2024 season and handed over the role to Ruturaj Gaikwad. His presence in the team remains important both on and off the field. Dhoni is playing his 18th IPL season and has led CSK to five titles, including the 2023 championship. He has played 268 IPL matches and scored 5,289 runs with 24 half-centuries.
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Meanwhile, on the field, Delhi Capitals won the toss and chose to bat first. CSK made two changes. Devon Conway replaced Jamie Overton, while Mukesh Choudhary came in for Rahul Tripathi. Delhi Capitals also made a change as Sameer Rizvi replaced Faf du Plessis due to fitness concerns.
At the toss, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said he also wanted to bat first and noted that the pitch looked dry. "We were looking to bat as well. Looks a bit dry. It's a bit cloudy, won't change much. You always want momentum in T20 cricket. Overall, the chat has been positive. Fielding is something which we can improve day by day. We want to be proactive. Elbow is good. Conway comes in for Overton. Mukesh comes in from Tripathi," he said.
Axar Patel said he expects the pitch to slow down as the match progresses and believes the presence of experienced leaders in the team will help in decision-making. "We are going to bat first. Feels like there'll be help for the bowlers. Expect it to get slower as the game progresses. In our team, we have a few players who have captained other franchises and that helps me a lot. Same combination. Faf is not fit for this game, Sameer Rizvi is playing," DC skipper said.
Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
