Can captain MS Dhoni revive CSK's fortunes in IPL 2025? Here's what AI has to say

MS Dhoni is back as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ruturaj Gaikwad had taken over the reins last year, but with him being ruled out due to a fractured elbow, the veteran keeper-batter will now lead the franchise for the remainder of the T20 tournament. Dhoni will be in charge when CSK take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Chepauk on Friday, April 11.

Five-time champions Chennai have made a hugely disappointing start to their IPL 2025 campaign. They began the season with a four-wicket win over the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a home game, but have since lost four matches in a row. CSK are currently languishing in ninth position in the points table.

Ahead of the Chennai-Kolkata clash in Chepauk on Friday, we asked Grok if Dhoni, as leader, can engineer a turnaround in CSK's fortunes. Admitting that the 43-year-old has proven credentials as captain, the AI chatbot hinted that his leaderships skills might not be enough to overturn the fortunes of the franchise.

Grok listed a number of issues with the current CSK squad in IPL 2025. It pointed out that the top order has been inconsistent, with the likes of Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra and Deepak Hooda failing to fire. The AI chatbot added that Dhoni's finishing skills have also waned and hence much cannot be expected from him with the willow barring some cameos.

While analyzing CSK's woes in greater detail, Grok pointed out that Gaikwad's absence will only make the job tougher for a batting order that is already struggling. The AI chatbot stated that while Dhoni's leadership might the team's lift morale, the same cannot overcome structural flaws in the squad, especially against teams that have fearless batting units.

On a positive note, Grok opined that his presence behind the stumps will give the team a strategic edge as he is a master at managing bowlers and getting the best out of youngsters. It, however, concluded that unless the team as a whole steps up, CSK are unlikely to make the IPL 2025 playoffs.

---

MS Dhoni's performance in IPL 2025 so far

In five innings in IPL 2025, Dhoni has scored 103 runs at a strike rate of 153.73. The keeper-batter scored 30* off 16 balls in the match against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk, but came into bat at No. 9 when the match was all but over. He scored 30* off 26 against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in another losing cause and 27 off 12 as CSK went down to the Punjab Kings (PBKS) by 18 runs.

Behind the stumps, Dhoni has been extremely sharp. He pulled off a lightning-quick stumping to send Suryakumar Yadav on his way in the match against MI. Against RCB, he stumped Phil Salt in similar fashion and also pulled off a stumping to dismiss a well-set Nitish Rana against the Rajasthan Royals (RR).