Former India captain MS Dhoni on Saturday (October 24) openly acknowledged Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) dominant streak and Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) dip in form in the recent editions of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Under the leadership of Rajat Patidar, RCB achieved monumental success by winning consecutive IPL titles in 2025 and 2026. Dhoni praised their exceptional all-round performance and consistency.
In contrast, five-time champions CSK have endured a severe decline, finishing at a disappointing 8th place in 2026 and landing at the bottom of the table in 2025. Dhoni himself sat out the entire 2026 season due to fitness concerns.
Speaking at a healthcare event in Bengaluru, Dhoni also addressed their head-to-head record—where RCB beat CSK in four out of their last five encounters, highlighting that paper team strengths mean very little in shorter formats and success depends entirely on performing on that specific day.
"I always felt you know, how good you are on paper hardly matters. How good you are on that particular day is something, which is the most important. And the shorter the format, the narrower is the margin between the best of teams. And the last 2 years, we have struggled, and it is a fact. You know, there is no point shying away from the fact that RCB has done really, really well," Dhoni said.
The legendary wicketkeeper-batter candidly admitted that CSK have struggled badly over the past two seasons. While noting that every franchise goes through winning and losing cycles, he emphasized that a team's true test of character comes during a slump.
"That is how life is. You have good times, you have bad times, but you know how to come out of it, what things you want to work on as a team, those are crucial things. Because you know, when we are winning, we knew that there will come a point when we will start losing, and the real test of character is when you're not doing well. So, RCB have consistently performed in the last couple of years, and we have not done that in the last couple of years," Dhoni added.
He expressed optimism for a stronger next season next year, hoping the team could avoid the severe injury crisis that plagued their recent campaigns and keep a fully fit squad available.
"It makes life slightly easy, when people understand their role and responsibility. So we hope for another close one so that, you know, next time when we come over here (in Bengaluru for a clash against RCB), we can say that, okay, you know, 2027, we had another close game which was a lot of fun for the spectators," Dhoni said.
"Because at the end of the day, we are entertainers, you know, we come over here and entertain. And another reason why we as a batsman, why we all the batsmen love Bangalore is, you know, the ball travels over. You know, this is one venue if you hit the ball, you know, it goes for a six. Even if you are strong, you mistime a ball, there are chances it may go for a six."
"I feel batsmen, they love it. And bowlers, they somehow, they are under the pump; they are under pressure, but they also, you know, in a way they accept that, okay, this is one venue where, you know, if you do decently well, you are regarded as a good bowler. So they turn the heat up on the batsmen, say, you know, we are expecting— you are expected to hit us. So it is a very nice venue overall, you know, high-scoring but a lot of fun," he concluded.
(With ANI Inputs)
