MS Dhoni believes Chennai Super Kings will “look quite sorted” once Ruturaj Gaikwad walks back into the XI next spring. Gaikwad missed all but five matches in IPL 2025 with an elbow problem and, despite Dhoni stepping in as captain, the side finished last – four wins from 14 telling the story.
“We are slightly worried about our batting order,” Dhoni conceded at a sponsors’ event in Chennai. “But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now.”
The numbers underline the hole Gaikwad left. CSK’s power-play run rate dipped below seven an over for the first time since 2019, while only two half-centuries came from the top three after his injury. A fit Gaikwad, who averages 39 in the competition, should at least plug that power-play leak.
Dhoni also pointed to December’s mini-auction as a chance to tidy up what he called “loopholes” in the squad. “I won’t say we [CSK] slacked off [in IPL 2025],” he said. “But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in.”
Which holes? A seam-bowling all-rounder remains on the wish list, and another specialist death bowler would not hurt. CSK conceded at 11.2 an over between the 16th and 20th last season, the worst in the league.
Gaikwad, meanwhile, has not played since 8 April at Mullanpur. A proposed stint with Yorkshire was cancelled for personal reasons, though the opener has been named in West Zone’s Duleep Trophy squad later this month. A solid outing there should put any lingering fitness doubts to bed.
Dhoni admitted performances over the past two years fell short of CSK’s own standards. “Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us,” he said. “We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also.
“We were like, ‘okay, there are some shortcomings’. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions.”
That process-driven approach has served CSK well since 2008, bringing five IPL titles and a reputation for calm efficiency. Yet Dhoni conceded results still matter. “So, we do talk about the processes. But at the same time we do want the result to come to our side. Last year it wasn’t there. But looking ahead, we will try to sort out most of the things, and we will hopefully be at our best.”
For Dhoni, the bond with the franchise and the city remains personal. “It’s a very long relationship that we have had and it started much before the start of IPL … 2005 was the time when I made my Test debut which happened to be in Chennai,” he recalled. “So, I feel the relationship over the years has grown. It helped me improve as a person. It helped me improve as a cricketer.”
A fit Gaikwad, a canny auction and a bit of typical CSK problem-solving – Dhoni is not promising miracles, just a return to the side’s familiar upward curve.
