Dhoni is treated like a demi-log by the Chennai fans.
Dhoni has led CSK to as many as five IPL titles. No wonder, the veteran wicketkeeper-batter enjoys a near god-like status in the region and the decibel levels go through the roof when he walks out to bat at Chepauk.
A glimpse of the same was witnessed during CSK’s IPL 2025 opener against Mumbai Indians (MI). Rachin Ravindra sealed the chase for the Chennai-based franchise by hitting a six.
Instead of getting praised for his match-winning 65*, Ravindra was subjected to social media criticism as Dhoni fans expressed their displeasure with the Kiwi star for not allowing 'Thala' to finish off the game.
Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, Rayudu questioned the crowd's strange obsession with Dhoni. For the unversed, the Chepauk crowd is known for being really “knowledgeable" about the sport.
"It is quite strange, and I don’t think it actually serves the game well. It is quite daunting if you're a newcomer. It's quite loud. The support is phenomenal. But, as you go on and play, then you realise they are MS Dhoni fans before they are CSK fans. It is quite evident, and rightly so, because that's the way the team has been set up and built over the years," Rayudu said.
"He's rightly named Thala and he has been calling the shots in CSK, and it's come to a stage where people are madly in awe and in love of what he's done for CSK," he added.
Rayudu then spoke about how the Chennai crowd sometimes wants CSK batters to get out just to catch a glimpse of Dhoni playing in the middle.
"It’s been happening for quite a few years now, and quite a few players have felt it over the years., you know, if not come out openly and said something about it, but internally, a lot of people used to feel that the crowd. Even though we also love MS Dhoni, and they also love MS Dhoni, and we want to see him bat, but sometimes when you, as an individual, are going out to bat, they are shouting from the crowd to… literally asking you to get out. Or they are anticipating or expecting you to get out," Rayudu stated.
“So it is quite strange, and I don’t think it actually serves the game well to be very honest. All the [other] players are giving their best for the team as well. They are also preparing and doing really well for the franchise, and they have put in a lot of sacrifice to be where they are. When things like that happen from their own crowd, it is, I feel, maybe it can be avoided,” he remarked.
Being a former CSK plyer, Rayudu opined that Dhoni can address this entire discourse and asked the franchise to be cautious and prepare for a time when the legendary captain is not around.
"The best person who can address that is MS Dhoni himself. If he comes out and says, ‘they are all our players, and just like me batting they are batting in the middle’, or something like that to soothe the crowd, it will be great for the players," Rayudu said.
"It will be quite challenging. Not only for the players or Chennai, but definitely for the franchise itself, because for them to [attract] crowds like that, especially even on weekdays – the stands are full, the engagement is amazing; there is no cricketer close to him, to be honest. They have not built up any other guy in the franchise to pull the crowds, because it has always revolved around MS Dhoni. That might come back to maybe bite them in terms of branding or getting the crowds in. So they will have to really think out of the box to make something happen," he concluded.