"MS Dhoni, the captain is a different beast" - Former India skipper's huge statement ahead of CSK vs KKR IPL 2025 clash

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly believes MS Dhoni is a different beast when leading the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ganguly's statements came a day before the struggling CSK take on the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a crucial IPL 2025 clash in Chennai on Friday, April 11.

Hours after these remarks, Dhoni was incidentally appointed CSK's captain for the rest of the 2025 season after Ruturaj Gaikwad got ruled out with an elbow injury. Gaikwad took over from Dhoni as CSK skipper ahead of IPL 2024.

However, things have gone downhill for the franchise since, with the Men in Yellow failing to qualify for the playoffs last year and starting this season with one win in five outings.

Speaking about MS Dhoni in an event on the eve of the CSK-KKR clash, Ganguly said (Via India Today):

"MS Dhoni can still hit sixes, we saw that in the other game. If he has to play for CSK, he must be captain of CSK. Because MS Dhoni, the captain is a different beast. Obviously, he's 43 years old, you don't expect to see the MS Dhoni that I saw in 2005, that's quite natural. But I think he's still got the power to clear and hit."

He continued:

"And I saw him play the other day in Punjab and he did hit a few sixes. I think with all his experience, all what he's achieved, he understands the game as good as anybody and will do what is right for CSK."

Dhoni holds almost all the IPL captaincy records, including the most wins with 133 and leading CSK to a joint-record five titles.

"Had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this" - Stephen Fleming on MS Dhoni

CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said MS Dhoni was more than willing to take over as captain after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of IPL 2025 with injury. The 43-year-old last captained CSK in the memorable IPL 2023 final against the Gujarat Titans (GT), which ended with the side winning a last-ball thriller.

Confirming the news of Dhoni taking over from Gaikwad as CSK skipper in the press conference, Fleming said (Via Hindustan Times):

"He [Dhoni] had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if we can. So that was never a doubt. He [Gaikwad] got hit in Guwahati. He's been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck. So we're disappointed and feel for him."

Dhoni has a herculean task ahead of him, with CSK languishing second-to-bottom on the points table. After winning their season opener against the Mumbai Indians (MI), CSK have lost four straight to equal their worst single-season losing streak.