IPL 2025: MS Dhoni Returns As Chennai Super Kings Captain, But Can He Bail Out The 5-time Champions At This Crisis Hour?

MS Dhoni's return as the Chennai Super Kings captain couldn't have come at a bad time. The five-time champions are languishing in 9th place, and for the first time in IPL history, they are staring at three consecutive defeats at their fortress, Chepauk.

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been ruled out for the entire campaign due to an elbow injury, and CSK turned to their most loyal servant at this hour of crisis.

CSK Have Had An Underwhelming Start In IPL 2025

It would not be a walk in the park for the 43-year-old as he himself is also battling fitness issues as head coach Stephen Fleming pointed out, he would not be able to bat for 10 overs. But what has been CSK's main problem?

In the last game, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra did manage to plug the gaps in CSK's powerplay problems, but it remains a concern. CSK's batting in the middle orders has seen a very poor strike rate of 126.04, and they need to hit the ground running when they host the IPL 2024 champions Kolkata Knight Riders on April 11, Friday.

Also Read: Who Will be Gaikwad's Replacement? Rahul Likely to Feature in MS Dhoni-Led CSK's Playing XI For IPL 2025 Match vs KKR

Their bowling also hasn't been up to the mark, and except for Noor Ahmad and Matheesha Pathirana,  no other bowlers have managed to grab the headlines. CSK have stacked their spin with spinners but the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin haven't been of much help.

Can MS Dhoni Bail Out Chennai Super Kings Once Again?

Signs have been pretty ominous as the former Indian skipper hasn't been fluid with both his wicket-keeping and batting. He struck an 84-run partnership with Vijay Shankar against Punjab, but it didn't help the cause. Dhoni's return to the leadership could work as a catalyst for CSK, which badly needed some turbulence to shake up things. Dhoni has only contributed a little bit more than 20 percent to CSK winning runs since 2023, and his batting ability has also been questioned amid the shadow of his retirement talks.

Also Read: MS Dhoni's First Reaction After Taking Over Captaincy From Injured Ruturaj Gaikwad is Unmissable

They would hope the five-time IPL-winning captain would get the best out of the players who have faced severe criticism for their underwhelming display on the pitch.