Former India great bats for Dhoni for 'selfless decision'

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been eliminated from the playoff race of the ongoing IPL 2025. CSK have just four points from the first 10 games of the session so far. Stepping in for Ruturaj Gaikwad in his injury absence, there have been many questions asked of Dhoni’s choice to continue playing in the IPL at the age of 43.

However, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has defended Dhoni, indicating that the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman's nature means he would have made this choice as a team man rather than for his own stature.

"Any player makes decisions not so much for himself, but for what is likely to be good for the team. Whatever decision MSD made about playing this season would have been based solely on what’s best for CSK," said Dhoni during a recent interview.

Must Read: Former India coach urges BCCI to prevent downfall of Suryavanshi like Kambli & Shaw

Dhoni was retained by CSK for INR 4 crore, after a rule change that dictated players who haven’t represented India in over 5 years could be retained at the same cost as an uncapped player. While it hasn’t gone to plan, Dhoni’s leadership became significant after Gaikwad sustained an elbow fracture that saw him miss the majority of CSK’s season.

Gavaskar then argued that Dhoni’s decision-making for the future would also depend on what he sees as the best course of action for a team he has represented since 2008. 

“Any future decision he takes will also depend entirely on what’s good for CSK—not necessarily what’s good for himself,” said Gavaskar.