IPL: A few vintage moments here and there as Dhoni signs off from Eden

It was late in the evening that Mahendra Singh Dhoni strode in for one last time at the Eden Gardens as a player – or so it seems. Needing 52 off 46 balls, it was a situation tailormade for the legend but then, this was not the MSD of even five years back.

There have been several occasions in the last few years when Dhoni, arguably one of the greatest finishers, had failed to take Chennai Super Kings over the line – the latest being the one against Royal Challengers Bangalore few games back. However, it was a different story on Wednesday as the 43-year-old held on to finish with 17 off 18 balls but more importantly, swatted a low full toss from Andre Russell over mid wicket in the first ball of the final over to put the pressure back on Kolkata Knight Riders.

Down and out in IPL 2025, the Yellow Shirts’ narrow win acted as a party pooper for the holders Knights’ play-off chances – not to speak of picking up some clues for the next season. “There were a few things that did not go our way,’’ Dhoni broke it down after the game, dispassionate as ever. ‘’You could get emotional about it, talk about the pride factor but you have to be practical about it,” he said.

“We are out of the tournament, so you give them (young players like Urvil Patel, Ayush Mhatre or Anshul Khamboj) a chance, see how they react. It is the approach, the mental toughness that you want to check,” added Dhoni, underlining the franchise’s focus on bench strength and transition. The way Khamboj, a No.9, fed off the confidence of having Dhoni as a non-striker and advisor in the last over also underlined the value the later still brings to the table for them.

The thoughts of rebuilding will be uppermost on the team management’s minds, along with the million dollar question about the future of Dhoni. A closer look at him during his stay in Kolkata certainly reveals his struggles with a dodgy knee and also the fact that he is ready to assist CSK, a project close to his heart, on his own terms only. He was nowhere to be seen during the first two days of optional practice at the Eden, turned up on the match day and joined the teammates for few minutes of football drills before moving on for the toss.

The man’s reflexes behind the stumps still hasn’t deserted him – as was evident in the way he stumped Sunil Narine off the young Afghan wrist spinner Noor Ahmed and then caught Angkrish Raghuvanshi off the same bowler. The rotation of bowlers, subtle changes in field placements which he directs – sometimes even by a couple of feet or metres – also played a major role in restricting the Knights to a below-200 score at the Eden.

Mahendra Singh DhoniWe are out of the tournament, so you give them (young players) a chance, see how they react. It is the approach, the mental toughness that you want to check

There is no gainsaying that someone of Dhoni’s class can still provide the flashes of brilliance, and it’s entirely upto the CSK management – neither fans or the media – if they still want to use his services as a player or take over as the mentor, a defacto role he plays anyway. Asked what could specifically be Dhoni’s role for next season, CSK CEO Kasi Vishwanathan told National Herald on Thursday: ‘’What we can confirm at this point is once Ruturaj Gaikwad is fit again, he will take over as the captain. As I have said before, it will be entirely left to MS as to how he wants to be associated with the franchise.’’

It’s a privilege unheard of in the annals of franchise cricket – be it a Sachin Tendulkar or Rohit Sharma, given that the later had captained Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles. But then, that’s the discreet charm of the chemistry between CSK and Dhoni in the ruthless, result-driven world of IPL!