"Making a joke of himself after every game": Fans slam MS Dhoni for his slow knock in CSK vs DC IPL 2025 match

Fans were critical of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) keeper-batter MS Dhoni playing a slow knock in Match 17 of IPL 2025 against Delhi Capitals (DC) on Saturday (April 5). The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai served as the host to the contest.

Batting first, DC posted a strong total of 183 on the board, with KL Rahul (77) emerging as the top-scorer. Khaleel Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Men in Yellow with two scalps.

In response, CSK were off to a bad start, losing three wickets in the powerplay. Experienced players like Shivam Dube (18) and Ravindra Jadeja (2) also perished early. Dhoni arrived at the crease in the 11th over, with the side still requiring 110 runs off 56 balls. Meanwhile, Vijay Shankar was batting at 24 off 23.

The duo couldn't get going and failed to garner consistent boundaries to keep the team in the hunt. In the end, Shankar remained unbeaten on 69 off 54 balls, while MS Dhoni could score only 30* off 26 balls. It is worth noting that Dhoni's innings comprised a solitary four and a six. As a result, CSK fell short by 25 runs and lost their third game on the trot.

Fans slammed Dhoni for not showing enough intent as per the required run rate. One of them stated that the 43-year-old should have retired after winning IPL 2023:

"Dhoni would have got the best possible ending if he retired after the 2023 Finals. Now he's just making a joke of himself every single game."

Here are the other reactions:

"MS Dhoni should've retired on a high after winning his 5th IPL title as Captain of CSK gracefully back in 2023. There was no point in dragging his career. He is only ruining his own reputation," a user tweeted.

"If you are a teenager and are thinking that Dhoni is struggling because he is 43, then I would like to let you know that Dhoni was the same even when he was 28," one user posted.

"A part of my heart dies whenever I see Dhoni staying not out in a chase in losing cause," another tweeted.

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Stephen Fleming puts an end to speculations around MS Dhoni's retirement

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming shared his thoughts on the rumors circulating around MS Dhoni's retirement. Notably, Dhoni's parents, wife and daughter were present during the CSK-DC game, and the cricket fraternity was expecting the former Indian skipper to announce his retirement from the cash-rich league.

During the post-match press conference, Fleming squashed the rumors and stated that Dhoni is still going "strong". He said:

“I’m just enjoying working with him still. He is still going strong and I don’t even ask him (about Dhoni’s future) these days.”

“It is not my role to put an end to speculations that are being created,” Fleming added.