It’s all on the line. It’s win or nothing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 5-time champions are dead last on the points table, and the inability to beat the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium would mean that they will be eliminated from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025.
CSK’s horror IPL 2025 season
Mind you, this is just the 49th match of the season. CSK will be out of the tournament with 21 group stage matches still left. That’s what it’s come to. After winning the IPL title in 2023, CSK finished 5th in 2024 and might end last in 2025. Things aren’t going well.
The most successful team hasn’t been able to make it work for two consecutive seasons. Naturally, the question comes. Will MS Dhoni finally retire? He had the opportunity to leave on a high in 2023 but decided to stay put. And now, when CSK are at their worst, the question arises.
MS Dhoni asked about retirement again
Before facing PBKS, Dhoni was asked by Danny Morrison at the toss whether he’ll continue. Basically, will the IPL 2025 season be Dhoni’s last? Was the CSK captain thinking about retirement? But as has been the case for a while, the wicketkeeper batter played coy. “I don’t know if I’m coming for the next game,” Dhoni jokingly replied.
CSK hadn’t done great under regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, and when he was ruled out, many expected things to get better as Dhoni was taking over. But the results have been worse, as CSK have lost 5 of their 6 matches. The auction wasn’t great, and the performance hasn’t been much better.
It’s now up to Dhoni. If his fitness is good enough, he might continue for one or more years. But if the knees aren’t in the condition to continue, he might have to call it a day after the IPL 2025 season.
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