5 major statements by MS Dhoni in recent event amid ENG vs IND 2025 5th Test

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni spoke about a wide range of issues concerning the Chennai Super Kings at a recent event in Chennai. Dhoni, who has been with the franchise since 2008 and played for them every season except 2016 and 2017 when they were suspended, shares a fond relationship with the city.

CSK, who finished tenth in IPL 2025, did not seem to have improved much from IPL 2024, where they ended seventh. Dhoni expressed concern regarding the five-time IPL-winning franchise's drop in form, but also assured stakeholders that action was being taken to find solutions.

In this piece, we take a look at five major statements made by Dhoni in the event:

#5 On rebuilding bits of CSK

Dhoni was frank enough to admit that CSK had not been at their best in IPL 2024 and 2025 and needed to fix the issues plaguing them. The five-time IPL-winning captain mentioned that the franchise would make use of the mini-auction ahead of the next season to find solutions to their problems.

"I won't say we [CSK] slacked off [in IPL 2025]. 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," said Dhoni (as per ESPNCricinfo). “Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. 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," he added.

#4 On seeking solutions to problems

In the same breath, Dhoni was quick to mention that even though CSK have not performed well in the IPL over the last couple of years, overall, they had little to complain about.

They have won the title five times and ended as runners-up on the same number of occasions. He said that at CSK, the franchise had been quick to find solutions by looking at their shortcomings objectively.

“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. I feel more often than not we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. In sports, you know you can have a very good time and at the same time there will be periods when you won't be performing well. In CSK, more often than not, we are on the higher side," said Dhoni (as per ESPNCricinfo).

#3 On Ruturaj Gaikwad's return in IPL 2026

Dhoni led Gaikwad in the latter's absence in IPL 2025.

Dhoni dropped a major bombshell at the event when he confirmed that CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will come back in time ahead of IPL 2026. The Maharashtra and India opener had been sidelined from IPL 2025 due to an injury.

This led to Dhoni leading the side in his absence. Dhoni confirmed that although the franchise had been slightly worried regarding their batting unit, Gaikwad's return would pave the way to better days.

"We are slightly worried about our batting order. 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," said Dhoni (as per ESPNCricinfo).

#2 On his personal relationship with CSK

At the event, Dhoni reminisced about the long relationship he has had with CSK, reminding viewers that he had made his Test debut at the Chepauk in 2005 against Sri Lanka, long before he started playing for the franchise in 2008.

The Jharkhand-born wicketkeeper-batter has played for no other franchise save CSK when they were available and not suspended by the BCCI from the IPL. He mentioned that being with CSK has helped him grow as a person.

"It's a very long relationship that we have had, and it started much before the start of IPL. 2005 was when I made my Test debut, which happened to be in Chennai. So, it started from that point of time. And yes, CSK helped in a big way because all of a sudden, I was spending 45-50 days here," said Dhoni (as per ESPNCricinfo). "So, I feel the relationship over the years has grown. It helped me improve as a person. It helped me improve as a cricketer. So, CSK just happened. I think it's good for Chennai, and it's good for me also. Nowadays, when we go and say CSK, it's a brand only in India, but when we go to Australia, South Africa, or any other cricket-playing nations," he elaborated.

#1 On his future in the IPL

Dhoni once again played around a question about his future in the IPL. Having retired from international cricket in 2019, Dhoni has been a regular at the T20 league ever since without showing any signs of slowing down.

At the event, he joked that his doctor has given him a clearance regarding his eyesight for at least the next five years, but not his body. The 44-year-old was struggling with a knee injury for a long time, and it remains to be seen if he manages to push himself through another gruelling season of IPL cricket.

“I just got a tick mark that for the next five years, I can play cricket. But the only catch is that the doctor only gave a clearance for eyesight. Body - he didn’t give a clearance for the body. But I cannot play cricket only with my eyes,” Dhoni said (as per FirstPost).

Edited by Sankalp Srivastava