Dhoni brings a lot of value to the IPL: Chris Gayle

MS Dhoni

Many star cricketers have had their reputations damaged by the IPL 2025.  Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Rohit Sharma have not been playing at their best, while other well-known players have not lived up to their potential too.

However, MS Dhoni's situation is unimaginable. Particularly after he came to bat very late in the order with CSK chasing in a few of games, his place in the Chennai Super Kings XI is under scrutiny.

However, Chris Gayle, who holds the record for the greatest individual score in IPL history (175*), backed Dhoni.

"With Dhoni, he brings a lot of value to the IPL. You want to see him as long as possible and want him to stay. You don't want to push him. When you start to hear that noise, people are going to send a wrong message to such a great player and a great person. You don't want to send such a message to a guy like Dhoni because he brings so much value in IPL,” Chris Gayle told Inside Sport.

“For someone who has won the championship so many times, if he goes from the IPL, it will take a little bit of drop. What he has done for his franchise it is fantastic. Wherever CSK plays in India, it is all about the Whistle Podu. That is the power and that is what he brings to the IPL."

“His wicketkeeping is still one of the best, he is still very sharp. It is about how he plays for the team and how they are going to use him. Everybody wants to see Dhoni. So, it doesn't matter where he bats for me, even at number 11, as long as people get a glimpse of Dhoni, still to be a part of CSK and the IPL,” Gayle added.

After their six-run defeat to the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming provided an explanation of MS Dhoni's batting arrivals, stating that they shouldn't expect the former captain to come in to bat around the ninth or tenth over mark in the current IPL 2025 season.

At Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati, Dhoni came to bat at No. 7 and managed just 16 runs off 11 balls while chasing 183 as CSK lost for the second time in a row this season.