This next post is not coming from the perspective of a cricket enthusiast, a preview writer, or a cricket blogger. This is going to be a full MS Dhoni fan rant.
And the reason I am posting this is simple — I know that every MS Dhoni supporter reading this blog will relate to it deeply. This one is purely from the heart, purely from the perspective of a Dhoni fan.
Where is Captain Cool? Where is Chennai’s Thala?
Well, it is pretty clear what the first agenda of this post is going to be after this subheading — where on earth is Mahendra Singh Dhoni?
A few hours before the IPL began this year, on March 28th at 10:00 AM, Chennai Super Kings posted a picture of MS Dhoni sitting on a cooler across their social media accounts. I opened the post expecting it to be just another picture of Dhoni — something I would stare at for a few seconds, smile at, and then move on with my day.
Then I read the caption which says-
I was genuinely shocked because, honestly, I had been waiting for his return ever since May 25th, 2025 — the night he said those words during the post-match interview with Harsha Bhogle.
And another reason I was shocked was because Dhoni has been playing the last few years while nursing knee and calf injuries. But the post mentioned that he would only miss two weeks, so I thought, alright, no problem. He’ll be back soon, and the roar for Chennai’s adopted son will be louder than ever.
Then videos started appearing of him practicing in the nets after CSK’s nightmare start to the season against RR. So naturally, I thought maybe he would return for the RCB game. But he did not travel to Bengaluru. Then game after game passed, and Ruturaj Gaikwad kept giving small updates at the toss, saying Dhoni would return very soon. And well… that did not happen, did it?
Two more games passed. CSK travelled to Hyderabad to face SRH in a game they completely choked and lost by 10 runs. But honestly, leaving the result aside, what annoyed fans the most was the fact that Dhoni had travelled with the squad. He had not travelled to Guwahati or Bengaluru earlier, so seeing him in Hyderabad gave everyone hope again… only for our hearts to be broken once more.
Then came the MI game. Multiple reports from respected cricket sources claimed that Dhoni would return either against MI or GT. And we had all seen those videos — Dhoni smashing massive sixes in the nets and even practicing wicketkeeping. That itself felt unusual because Dhoni barely ever practices wicketkeeping publicly. Surely that had to mean something, right?
And then came the MI game… and neither Dhoni nor Rohit played. The first-ever IPL El Clásico without at least one of the two icons on the field. Just heartbreak after heartbreak. And the two weeks mentioned by CSK in their original post had already ended a few days before this match too.
Then came CSK vs GT. A perfect day for Dhoni to walk out and save CSK’s batting from collapsing completely. But once again, no Dhoni. Honestly, how frustrating can this get?
I still remember messaging my cousin after that game:
“If Dhoni doesn’t play against MI on May 2nd, I’m genuinely losing hope now.”
He told me not to worry. But I did worry. And Dhoni did not play against MI either. Nor did he travel to Delhi on the 5th. Nor did he play against LSG on the 10th. And not even on the 15th.
This is a man who had missed a combined total of barely five games before this season, and now he has missed more than three-fourths of CSK’s campaign. And somehow, it only gets more frustrating day by day because it feels like there is no point hoping for his return anymore… but you still hope.
And what makes all of this even more frustrating is the complete lack of proper communication from the CSK management. Stephen Fleming says Dhoni will return soon, and then later mentions that he has picked up another injury. Michael Hussey says Dhoni is very close to match fitness, that his batting looks excellent, and only his running needs improvement. Then Eric Simmons says that updates on Dhoni’s fitness are above his pay grade, and only Dhoni himself will know when he is fully ready.
Yes, we understand that only Dhoni knows when he is match-ready. But all fans are asking for is a small update. A probable date. Any clue at all about when he is coming back.
At this point, it honestly feels like the fans’ emotions are just being played with. And it is painful, because we wait an entire year to watch him play, and yet we are given absolutely no clarity about when — or even if — he will return.
And if retirement is actually coming, then at least give us a heads-up. Please do not do something like 2020 again, when he randomly retired from international cricket at 19:29 hours. I still remember that day so clearly. It was my birthday. We were playing darts, and suddenly my mom told me:
“MS Dhoni just announced his retirement from international cricket.”
That genuinely became one of the saddest days of my life.
And coming to the retirement part… well, we all knew it was coming someday. We just never expected it to feel this frustrating and emotionally exhausting.
I still remember Dhoni saying in an interview after winning his fourth IPL trophy with CSK nearly five years ago that he hoped his final T20 game would be in Chennai.
And well, CSK’s final home game of the season is tomorrow against SRH. And if what MS Dhoni said years ago is still true, then tomorrow might genuinely be the last time we ever see Captain Cool walk onto a cricket field.
And honestly, I personally do not want you to retire. For one simple reason — you are the reason I fell in love with this sport in the first place. And when your idol retires, a small part of the game retires with them too.
And secondly, this just does not feel like the right way for it to end. Fans do not deserve a season filled with uncertainty, frustration, and constant waiting, only for it to end with a single farewell appearance. We deserved one final full season of MS Dhoni — one last proper journey before the goodbye.
And as much as every sign points toward retirement, none of us want you to leave quietly like this. Not without one final vintage Dhoni season. And honestly, what better stage could there be for one last dance than the 20th season of the Indian Premier League itself?
But then again… this is MS Dhoni we are talking about. If he does play against SRH tomorrow, we probably still will not know whether it was his final game until the match ends — or maybe even hours later. That is just how Dhoni has always been. Quiet. Unpredictable. Different from everyone else.
But honestly… please do not leave like this.
-SlogVlog
SlogVlog 