Dhoni’s comeback creates a buzz in CSK camp, but as player or brand?

The focus is back on Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the thala hits the nets for Chennai Super Kings again. After missing out on more than three weeks of IPL action owing to a calf strain, the iconic figure cast his imposing shadow at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium once again ahead of his team's away match against Mumbai Indians this evening.

The clash of two of the most successful IPL teams in history potentially signals the return of MSD, but Chennai fans may now have to wait until the weekend. Eric Simmons, the long-serving bowling coach of CSK, indicated on Wednesday that Dhoni has not yet achieved 100 per cent match fitness, with the new deadline being the home match against Gujarat Titans on Sunday, 26 April.

The unpopular question that many are afraid to ask is: what can the 44-year-old master finisher bring to the table for a team which has managed just two wins from six games and is languishing at eighth spot on the table? Ever since leading the yellow shirts to a fifth title in 2023 — the season when the legend was accorded an emotional farewell in all the venues that he played in — Dhoni has not really delivered as a player. 

Last year, it was a no-brainer that when the BCCI tweaked the retention rules, a provision was made for an ‘uncapped’ player so that it cleared the decks for CSK to retain Dhoni as a player for another season.

It was no different this year, though the franchise went in for a much-talked about trade of Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals — a man-to-man replacement as a wicketkeeper and a dashing batter. The only way Dhoni can hence fit into the scheme of things is be an ‘impact player’ in the lower order to give a total a late surge or when they are up against steep targets.

It’s not surprising that in the history of derby clashes between Mumbai and Chennai, Dhoni is the second highest scorer with 679 runs, second only to Rohit Sharma (881).

However, that's all in the realm of the past and it’s perhaps not harsh to say that CSK now looks more to leverage Brand Dhoni rather than define his utility in terms of runs and catches or stumpings.

In IPL 2024, Dhoni had scraped together 161 runs in 14 matches (strike rate 220.54) and 196 in 14 innings (SR 135.17) in 2025 when he also led the squad on a stop-gap basis due to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury.

‘’MSD will stay with us forever,’’ has been the refrain from Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of CSK, for the last few years in answer to the speculation as to which would be his last year as a cricketer. A member of the board of directors for India Cements, owners of CSK, Dhoni is a vital cog in the wheel in terms of strategy planning — a bandwidth which is unprecedented in the ROI (return on investment)-driven world of IPL.

“We in CSK have known from the very start that cricketers and administrators think differently. It is better that cricketers are allowed to take on-field calls while the administrators focus on things off the field. MSD had our fullest support in shaping the team and the way we played. The bond was organic and you can see the results”, Viswanathan  said in an interview earlier this year.

There is no doubt that as and when MSD stages a comeback, he will be a player-mentor. One cannot question his shelf life as a player either as it’s a privately owned franchise after all, and if his fans feel that the show must go on!