The Chennai Super Kings have had a rough 2025 Indian Premier League season. They were the first team to get eliminated from the tournament this year. In addition to questions over the performances of some of the players, there were also growing speculations over MS Dhoni's role in the side, which only increased as the campaign went along after he was retained as an uncapped player. Midway through the season, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was the talisman with the bat, got injured, and the franchise decided to hand over the captaincy to Dhoni yet again. "Every team is a mirror of their leaders, and he is such a significant leader, and has been for so long. We all have a fire inside of us, and at times we need to recognize when that is starting to flicker, and if not, go out. I just don't know whether what I am seeing is correct, but certainly my observation is that the spark is not there that I have seen in previous years," former Sunrisers Hyderabad coach Tom Moody said on ESPN Cricinfo. MS Dhoni himself, after the side's win against Kolkata Knight Riders before the break in the season due to India-Pakistan tensions, hinted at the uncertainty of his future. "A lot of them don't know when it is going to be my last time (smiles), so they want to come and see me play. There is no escaping the fact (that I am in the last phase of my career). After this IPL gets over, I have to work hard for another 6-8 months to see if my body can take this pressure. Nothing to decide now but the love and affection I have seen is excellent," MS Dhoni said during the post-match presentation. “It is hard to say we got it completely right with the performances that we have had,” Head Coach Stephen Fleming said earlier in the season. “So we have been looking over that in detail, just around our style of play. Also, looking at how the game is evolving “And it is not easy. And that is why we are proud of our record today. We have been able to be consistent for so long, and it doesn’t take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better, and that is the point of the auction. But we just haven’t been able to get it right.”
