'Exhausted' With MS Dhoni Saga, Ex-India Star Sends 'Harsh Lesson' Message To CSK

Former Indian cricket team batter Sanjay Manjrekar said that he is exhausted talking about MS Dhoni's IPL future, adding that in his opinion, Chennai Super Kings have completely mishandled the situation. Dhoni has not played a single game for the five-time champions this season after suffering a calf strain, leading to intense speculation over whether he will announce his IPL retirement this year. Although Dhoni trained on multiple occasions with the team, he did not take part in any matches, and Manjrekar stated that he has lost all interest in the constant chatter around the cricketer.  

"To be very honest, I've exhausted myself so much talking about another icon. I've got nothing left to say about Dhoni. And if you want a very short and brutally honest answer, it doesn't matter. Whether he plays, whether he doesn't play, and all that, yeah, CSK have handled that situation very differently and something that I've lost interest in," he told Sportstar.  

"I mean, what he's done for India is something that I'll take to bed every time. He is one of my favourite captains and one of the all-time greats. Just love Dhoni for what he did. The current version is obviously a shadow of himself, and this CSK just handled that Dhoni phenomenon very poorly, resulting in the whole team just messing up. So, whether Dhoni plays one last game or not, it's something for his fans and everyone to enjoy, but I just take the Dhoni I saw at the India level and at CSK as well. Even this team that we see, the CSK team, if Dhoni in his prime was leading this team, this team would have been in the playoffs."  

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that CSK have learned a harsh lesson while managing the Dhoni saga, adding that the franchise needs to move away from the 'emotional' urge to fit him into the playing XI.

"CSK have learned one harsh lesson - don't get too emotional about your players. Be emotional about the reality, the performances, your current standing, the points table. Be focused on that. If you're going to focus on Dhoni and try and fit him in, how is he going to contribute? You can see it's been getting more and more difficult every year. He's ageing. He doesn't play any other cricket apart from this. He might do exactly what he did in the last couple of seasons. He's not going to come in till late in the innings. He will bat lower down the order and maybe play in the final over. And that, I think, is more because the man is phenomenal rather than it being the best way to win a game," he said.

Featured Video Of The Day

Topics mentioned in this article

Sanjay Manjrekar MS Dhoni Chennai Super Kings IPL 2026 Cricket