MS Dhoni is playing his 18th IPL season at the age of 43.
R Ashwin, a former India and current CSK spinner, has claimed that when MS Dhoni came out to bat for the Chennai Super Kings against arch-rivals the Mumbai Indians in IPL 2025 on Sunday, March 23, there was so much commotion and turmoil that practically everyone missed the severity of the situation.
Dhoni stepped out to bat in the 19th over, following Ravindra Jadeja's dismissal, to a resounding reception at the franchise's home ground. Ashwin's return to the Chennai camp after ten years was the first time he had experienced the amazing reaction from the dressing room.
“When MS Dhoni came out to bat in Chennai, there was so much noise and chaos that we forgot the situation of the game only. MS Dhoni has earned the love. It was for the first time I was seeing that reception from the CSK dressing room; I always saw it from the outside," Ashwin said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
Dhoni's triumph over Mumbai marked his return to professional cricket since the IPL 2024. There were rumors about his future, but they were dispelled when he was kept as an uncapped player by Chennai ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.
When Dhoni stepped out to bat, the game was still far from over. The Mumbai spinners created pressure to stay in the game, nearly reaching Chennai's bottom order.
“I was padded up, I was the next batter. I went inside and asked Ruturaj how the wicket and all that because we still needed 4 runs, but everyone forgot that a match was on the line," Ashwin said.
While Dhoni was unable to finish the match, he did have his moment in the first innings when he executed a superb stumping to eliminate opposition skipper Suryakumar Yadav.
Dhoni, who retains a talismanic figure for Chennai despite surrendering leadership in 2024, stated that he does not consider himself an Impact Player because he is the team's first-choice wicketkeeper.