Chennai, Dhoni: a bond for the ages
On May 14, once the customary obligation of the postmatch presentation was done after Chennai Super Kings’s loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in their final home game of the IPL league phase, MS Dhoni did a lap of honour at Chepauk. A brace strapped on his left knee, the CSK skipper – his teammates and a few officials in tow – seemed in no hurry as he acknowledged every section of the Chepauk faithful. Just a few metres away was Sunil Gavaskar, who spotted Dhoni and dashed towards him to get an autograph. Dhoni was beaming all through, happy to soak it all in.
Was this a sign of the curtain being drawn on a glittering career? With CSK’s entry to the playoffs not certain then, was Dhoni acting in the knowledge that he may never step onto the MA Chidambaram Stadium as a player again?
Though CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan reiterated his belief that the 41-year-old will play next season, there will be conjecture as long as he remains secretive about his future plans. “We believe Dhoni is going to play next season as well,” Viswanathan said in a video posted by the franchise after the game.
We will have to wait and watch. For the moment though, there’s comfort in knowing that Dhoni will step into the yellowhued den at Chepauk at least one more time. That will be on Tuesday when CSK face defending champions Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 for a shot at making their tenth IPL final.
It provides another opportunity for CSK’s fans to indulge in Dhoni-worship; to turn up in large numbers with his name emblazoned on their jerseys; to make the stands at Chepauk reverberate with deafening chants of ‘Dhoni, Dhoni’.
Dhoni never fails to reciprocate the affection. When the IPL didn’t take place in Chennai last year due to Covid restrictions, for instance, he made it clear that he will return in 2023 because “it will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you”.His fans aren’t yet thinking of a future without Dhoni though. “No season will be his last. Whether he plays or not, we are happy as long as we see him. We have never thought about a day without Dhoni,” says CSK fan Saravanan Hari, a familiar figure in the stands during their matches with his body painted in bright yellow.
Dhoni has only had a minimal role with the bat this season. He has played a grand total of 54 balls, often coming in at No. 7 or 8 to manage his knee niggle. But in the time that he has spent at the crease, there have been fireworks. Ten sixes and a strike rate of 190.74 mean that he’s wielding the long handle with devastating effect even if only briefly.