Sanjay Bangar, the former batting coach for India, recently stirred things up by saying that MS Dhoni’s presence has held back Ruturaj Gaikwad from stepping up as a leader for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This comment comes just before what might be Dhoni’s final match in the IPL, where CSK is set to face the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. Bangar pointed out that both Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja haven’t fully developed their leadership skills because they’re always looking to Dhoni. He said, “Ruturaj and Jadeja are still under Dhoni’s shadow. They keep mirroring his mindset and miss out on growing as leaders.”
In the meantime, CSK won the toss and decided to bat first in their last game of IPL 2025, after not making the playoffs. Even though they can’t move forward in the tournament, they could still spoil things for the Gujarat Titans, who need a win to secure the top spot.
As Dhoni might be leading CSK for the last time, he urged his team to just enjoy the game and announced that Ravichandran Ashwin is out, making way for Deepak Hooda in the lineup. Dhoni mentioned that the pitch looked good and that every season brings new challenges. He added, “We’re last in the table and we’ll stay there whether we win or lose. We just need to enjoy our cricket.” With many people believing this could be his final IPL game, the atmosphere is definitely charged.
