CSK CEO stops MS Dhoni for chat after PBKS knock them out of IPL; ‘They don’t need him next year,' says Pollock

Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanath stopped MS Dhoni on the sidelines to have a chat with the legendary cricketer after CSK lost their fifth IPL 2025 match at home (Chidambaram Stadium) to become the first team this year to officially get knocked out of the race to the playoffs. CSK lost to Punjab Kings by four wickets on Wednesday in another one-sided contest. This was the first time in the history of IPL that Dhoni would not be a part of an IPL final for successive years. CSK had missed the playoff berth last year.

Dhoni returned as the CSK captain after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the 18th season with an elbow injury, but CSK's fortunes remained the same. The talismanic captain, who has won five titles and featured in 11 finals, failed to weave his magic at the age of 43, as CSK stayed rooted to the last spot after garnering just four wins in 10 outings this year.

At a time when dark clouds hovered over Dhoni's future in the IPL despite CSK's open show of faith, CEO Viswanath's chat after the loss to PBKS is being looked at with special significance. It did not appear to be anything serious as Dhoni and Viswanath were all smiles. Dhoni even drifted away to play with IPL's robotic camera, 'Champak'.

CSK still have four more games to go this year, but when former New Zealand pacer Danny Morrison asked him at the toss about his future next season, Dhoni jokingly said he was not even sure whether he would be back for the next game. "I don't know, I'm coming for the next game," he said with a smile.

‘Don't see Dhoni coming back next year': Pollock

Legendary South African cricketer Shaun Pollock said he would be surprised to see Dhoni playing for CSK next year as he believes the franchise can go forward under Ruturaj Gaikwad. "I don't think (CSK needs Dhoni the captain next season). He is having to step in because Gaikwad is injured. He has nothing more to achieve. He has won as much as anyone. It's gonna be down to what he wants because of the legacy he has left and the impact he has had on the franchise, they have kind of given him free rein to be the one who makes the call. We will wait until you have decided you have had enough. Will that change? I don't know. Would the owners have a word with him? We've tried to predict this for so long and now we sound like a broken record. We can't get to the bottom of it. But yeah, I would be very surprised if he were there next year," Pollock said on Cricbuzz.

Another legendary cricketer, Adam Gilchrist, said it would be up to Dhoni to take a call on his future. “He's an icon. He's above the Hall of Fame. He has set the standard for anyone who tries to get into that Hall of Fame in this tournament. It is going to be a long time before a single player can have such an impact on building the legacy of IPL cricket. Whatever does happen, there's plenty of time to reflect on that, and knowing him, he might not say anything and keep us guessing until next year. Whatever the case, he has had the biggest impact in IPL,” Gilchrist added.