MS Dhoni copped a lot of criticism from fans and experts alike as he came out to bat at No. 9 in Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025. Chasing a big total, CSK sent out batters like Sam Curran and Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of Dhoni, who is one of the most reputed power-hitters in the game. Former India cricketer and reputed expert Sanjay Manjrekar has given his take on the decision, stating that Dhoni's presence in the CSK team is becoming more due to his brand and less due to playing qualities.
"I will look at the larger picture. If you look at this year and even last year, Dhoni is playing more as a brand than as a player," Manjrekar said, speaking on JioStar.
"When they select the playing XI, they don't pick an extra batter because MS is there. MS Dhoni is a bonus for them. He has a different role," Manjrekar said.
While Manjrekar acknowledged the incredible brand of Dhoni, he did admit that his abilities are not being utilised properly by CSK by sending him so low down the order.
Manjrekar even stated that Dhoni should become the captain of the franchise so that his utility increases.
"I think if MS Dhoni is playing and batting so late, he should be the captain. He is doing great as a wicketkeeper, but he would contribute more as captain. Right now, he is being under-utilised," Manjrekar said.
Dhoni slammed 30 runs off 16 balls against RCB despite coming in to bat at No. 9. However, his late arrival meant that those runs held little value and came at a time when the game was already over.
MS Dhoni was retained for just Rs 4 crore by CSK ahead of IPL 2025, with players who haven't played international cricket for five or more years being allowed to be retained as uncapped.