5 experts who slammed MS Dhoni's batting position after CSK vs RCB IPL 2025 match ft. Virender Sehwag

Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) supremacy at the MA Chidambaram Stadium over the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) was broken when the latter defeated them by 50 runs in the eighth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season on Friday, March 28. The Super Kings had earlier won eight out of nine matches against RCB at this venue.

One of the biggest bones of contention for CSK was ex-captain MS Dhoni's batting position. Dhoni walked out to bat at number nine in this game, behind the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, and although he scored a 16-ball 30, he could not help his team get over the line.

After the game, several discussions broke out amongst experts, pundits, commentators and supporters of the sport regarding Dhoni's ideal batting position. At 43, it has been seen that the 2007 T20 World Cup and 2011 ODI World Cup-winning captain is reluctant to bat up the order and face too many balls.

In this listicle, we take a look at reactions from experts who slammed Dhoni's batting position in this game for various reasons - some commenting on why he was holding himself back when he was batting so well, while others were bamboozled over the choice of sending off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of him.

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#5 Manoj Tiwary

Former Bengal and India batter Manoj Tiwary made a bold statement on Cricbuzz after this game when he said that the CSK support staff do not have the 'guts' to tell Dhoni to move up the order to help the team in run-chase situations.

Tiwary, currently a minister of state in West Bengal, also asked Dhoni for an explanation as to why he was batting so low down the order, and felt that the ex-India captain must come out in public to reassure his supporters' anxieties.

"CSK coaching staff do not have the guts to tell MS Dhoni to move up the order. I think they will never be able to tell him. Once he has decided, that's it... If you know you can do it (bat at a good strike rate), you should look to bat higher and try to win the game. I would just request that he come out in public and tell us why you are batting so lower down the order," said Tiwary.

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#4 Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra, best known for his pugnacious defensive skills as shown on India's tour of Australia in 2003-04, is a television pundit these days with his own YouTube channel called AakashVani.

Post CSK's loss, however, Chopra took to the microblogging site X to write that although the team's supporters love to see Dhoni walking out to bat, they must also want to win. Chopra also said that it was logical for Dhoni to bat higher up the order as he has shown his skills to be top-notch.

“CSK fans really love the sight of Dhoni walking into the middle and smashing sixes. But CSK fans must also want their team to win. And with the kind of hitting form that Dhoni has shown off-late, it’s only logical to expect him to give himself enough time to win games for CSK. Ashwin ahead of Dhoni vs RCB didn’t make sense," wrote Chopra.

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#3 Robin Uthappa

Former India opener Robin Uthappa, who has played for CSK in the past, took to the social media site X to express his displeasure at Dhoni batting so low down the order. He wrote that Dhoni's batting at number nine did not make sense.

Uthappa commended RCB, for whom he plied his trade from 2009 to 2010, and heaped a lot of praise upon them for breaching the fortress of Chepauk, where they had won just one game in nine encounters prior to this.

“Important win for RCB. A win at the fortress in Chepauk will be a huge boost in their campaign this year. Dhoni coming at number 9 dint make sense at all. Him coming earlier could have helped CSK’s NRR in their campaign this year (sic),” wrote Uthappa.

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#2 Shane Watson

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, who played three seasons under Dhoni's leadership at CSK, flatly settled the debate surrounding his ex-skipper's batting position on a live discussion on JioHotstar.

Watson, who also played for the Rajasthan Royals and RCB in the IPL, mentioned that Dhoni should have walked out to bat earlier in this game since his hand-eye coordination is still in fine nick and that he could have helped his team in the chase.

"This is exactly what CSK fans come to see - 30 off 16 deliveries from Dhoni. I would have absolutely loved to see him come up the order. In my opinion, he should have batted ahead of Ashwin," said Watson.

"Given the game situation, Dhoni could have played like this for another 15 balls. Over the last couple of years, he has consistently shown that he's still batting beautifully. I truly believe he should be promoted up the order so we can see the full extent of his skills." he added.

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#1 Virender Sehwag

Former India opener Virender Sehwag, who shared the dressing room with Dhoni for several years, took a sarcastic jibe on Cricbuzz at his ex-captain coming to bat at number nine in the game against RCB.

Sehwag was not amused by the scenario but tried to make a joke out of it by saying that Dhoni had come out to bat earlier than he usually did; he was referring to the fact that the maestro usually walked out to bat in the last over of a game.

"Jaldi aa gaye na (He came out to bat early, didn't he?). When he came, 16 overs were bowled. Usually, he comes in the 19th or 20th over, so he came out to bat early, didn't he? Either he came out to bat early, or his batters lost wickets far too quickly," said Sehwag.

"I am not surprised. It's not like if he came on to bat earlier, anything about this match would have changed because of the way RCB was playing. This is something he and his team have decided. He said that he would only play a certain number of balls. He always comes to bat during the 17th or 18th over," he added.