MS Dhoni did not have a fantastic season with the bat in the current Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. He led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their final nine matches of the season after regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was sidelined due to an injury. However, the Men in Yellow suffered six defeats under the wicketkeeper-batter’s leadership.
Ahead of CSK’s final game of the season against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, May 25, Aakash Chopra highlighted Dhoni’s flaws, claiming that the former India captain has scored the majority of his runs in losing causes during the last couple of IPL seasons.
The cricketer-turned-commentator also claimed that MS Dhoni has a high dot-ball percentage against spin.
“Over the last few seasons, he has routinely hit seventh or lower in every single inning. If you delve a bit deeper, you’ll see that he batted at positions 8 or 9 almost 45% of the time over this timeframe. While he has hit a few sixes, the most of those runs have come when the game was already out of reach,” Chopra told Star Sports.
“His contributions to winning causes have not been particularly noteworthy. One major problem is his dot-ball rate against spin, which is 45%, one of the highest and something fans should take carefully,” he said.
Dhoni, who is regarded as one of the most reliable wicketkeepers of all time, has had a few mishaps behind the stumps this season. Chopra noted that the 43-year-old had taken five and dropped four catches in the IPL 2025.
“As a wicketkeeper, he has showed bursts of brilliance, but the statistics paint a slightly different story. He has allowed the most runs among keepers this season. While he has taken five catches, he has also dropped four, which is unusual and not what we expect from him,” he said.
CSK won their final game of the season by 83 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The five-time champions scored 230/5 in 20 overs, with Devon Conway and Dewald Brevis blasting blazing half-centuries. However, much to the disappointment of the spectators, Dhoni was not required with the bat. In the second innings, Shubman Gill’s side was bowled out for 147, with Noor Ahmad taking three wickets.
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