IPL: Time for Dhoni-mania to sweep Eden on his likely curtain call

The emotional quotient of Wednesday’s IPL league match being the last one for Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the Eden Gardens — much as it has been done to death — is still very much alive and kicking. The 43-year-old, who has had to bear the brunt of the fans’ ire for Chennai Super Kings’ nightmarish campaign throughout the 2025 season, will again be the centre of attraction before a sellout crowd against home side Kolkata Knight Riders.

In their first meeting last month, the Knights had broken the siege of Chepauk but a visual from that match remains viral — Andrew Russell trying to cut out the noise of the crowd in Chennai chanting Dhoni’s name.

Kolkata, which saw a yellow wave during his supposed farewell season in 2023, seems lined up for a repeat performance as the demand for tickets has gone through the roof. One only hopes that the weather, with thunderstorms predicted on both Tuesday and Wednesday, holds.  

The question against the thala ('leader' in Tamil), to put it bluntly, is whether he has really overstayed his welcome for these past two seasons. To be fair to him, it’s Brand CSK and IPL which needed him more than vice versa, as it was a no-brainer that the retention rules were tweaked to accommodate an uncapped player, a move which paved the way for Dhoni to be retained for another season.

There is a familiar ring to the inevitable question being thrown at Dhoni for some time now at the toss — whether this will be his last IPL. Even mid-season this year, there was a sudden buzz that the moment of truth had finally arrived, as his parents paid a surprise visit to one of his matches. Appearing on a YouTube channel, Dhoni soon scotched all rumours and said he was taking it ‘year-by-year’ now.

Much has been made about the fact that Dhoni remains a shadow of the finisher he once was, even though his glovework and tactical nous as captain (he had to step in mid-season after Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury) still adds plenty of value to the team. But then, the cliché of no one being bigger than the game works for everyone, even if you are a Dhoni.

Asked about Dhoni’s future with CSK, Kasi Vishwanathan, the franchise's long-serving CEO, told National Herald: ‘’The decision is completely left to him as to what he wants to do next year but yes, M.S. Dhoni will remain with CSK. Let’s admit that we have had a poor season this year but we have been in this position before. We blame no individual for this failure.’’

The clout that Dhoni enjoys in the CSK ecosystem was apparent as he chose to skip the team's optional practice sessions both on Monday and Tuesday. ''He (Dhoni) knows best how ready he is for the game,'' remarked bowling coach Eric Simmons - hinting later that he would be playing the game after all.

A fiercely private person who has never his let emotions show barring a few occasions, Dhoni will once again on Wednesday be setting foot on the venue which has always been close to his heart. Born in Ranchi at a time when it was still part of Bihar (not Jharkhand), the city of Kolkata was deemed a second home of sorts for Indian cricket’s biggest iconoclast, as he played a lot of club cricket here and scored his first century in first class cricket back in 2001.

What’s more, this is where he first met his would-be wife Sakshi during an international game, as captured rather convincingly in the Bollywood hit Dhoni: The Untold Story. His in-laws are also settled in Kolkata.

Any talk of current form or social media trolls can hence take a backseat for the day as Eden reverberates to the thunderous chant of 'Dhoni, Dhoni!' one more time. Even if it’s another must-win game for Kolkata Knight Riders in their last-ditch scramble to stay in the play-off race.

Catch the match

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings

Wednesday, 7 May

Eden Gardens, 7.30 pm IST