Watch: MS Dhoni launch signature helicopter shot at Matheesha Pathirana during CSK practice session

Three days remain until the 18th Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament, and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni is already looking ready for the season. During a recent drill, the 43-year-old showed off his signature helicopter shot once more. When Dhoni faced teenage Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana, he made his famous shot, which sent the ball into the stands.

Dhoni is still a vital component of CSK and plays in the lucrative league even though he retired from international cricket in August 2020. His comeback is anticipated by both fans and experts, as he was retained for INR 4 crore prior to the 2025 Indian Premier League. He averaged 53.66 and smashed 161 runs at a strike rate of 220.54 during the previous season.

Known for his yorkers and slingy movement, Pathirana faced Dhoni during CSK’s practice session. Nevertheless, Dhoni’s trademark helicopter shot, which sent the ball flying straight down the ground, successfully tackled one such attempted yorker.

on L️P #WhistlePodu #Yellove pic.twitter.com/TDWRLfoqNN

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 19, 2025

 MS Dhoni final season may be in the 2025 Indian Premier League.

There were suspicions that he was retiring after fans saw him wearing a T-shirt that read, “One last time,” in Morse code. Neither Dhoni nor the CSK management have commented on it, though.

The MA Chidambaram Stadium will host CSK’s IPL 2025 opening match against the Mumbai Indians on March 23. Five players were kept by the five-time champions before the season began: Dhoni, Pathirana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shivam Dube.

CSK squad for IPL 2025:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rahul Tripathi, Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, MS Dhoni, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar, Rachin Ravindra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Curran, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Nathan Ellis, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth, Shreyas Gopal