CSK batting coach Mike Hussey. File
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli celebrate after winning the third ODI against Australia on October 25, 2025
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Former cricket team captain M.S. Dhoni during the launch of his app ‘Dhoni’ powered by Single.id, in Mumbai on February 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Single.ID, a reward systems platform will reward Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s loyal fans on the ‘DHONI’ app for their purchases with partner retailers, said Enigmatic Smile, a U.K.-based reward technology company.

In addition to the rewards on their purchases, fans will also get inside peaks into Dhoni’s life. “Registered users can enjoy exclusive access to never-before-seen videos, personal insights, and behind-the-scenes moments from Dhoni’s life” said Enigmatic Smile in its statement.

Also read | M.S. Dhoni says, just forgive and move on, can’t worry about everything

“You can redeem rewards across categories ranging from travel & tourism, retail, to fashion and F&B outlets using Single.id technology. The DHONI app is all about more rewards, more savings, and more benefits. ‘Thoda aur’ – that’s what every fan of mine deserves and will get on this app,” said Dhoni.

Enigmatic Smile is a U.K.-based rewards technology firm “supports 90 high-profile reward programs run by an expanding network of loyalty companies worldwide.”

Former cricket team captain M.S. Dhoni during the launch of his app ‘Dhoni’ powered by Single.id, in Mumbai on February 19, 2025.
| Photo Credit: PTI

“Even if it’s tough to do…just forgive and move on.” Mahendra Singh Dhoni became a life coach for once to share his secrets for a stress-free existence, describing himself as a careless person who would not give up on a good night’s sleep by paying attention to what others think of him.

The 43-year-old former India wicketkeeper-batter, considered one of the game’s greatest for captaining India to two World Cup titles in a storied international career, set a high benchmark for a leader with his calm and focused approach on the field.

He is now gearing up for what most believe is his final IPL season as a player with Chennai Super Kings and at an event in Mumbai, he turned philosophical when asked to give advice to fans and followers.

“I think, keep life simple. Be honest to yourself, have gratitude towards people for whatever they have been doing for you. Don’t always think, ‘this is my birthright’ and ask for more,” the enigmatic big-hitter said in Mumbai on Wednesday (February 19, 2025) evening during the launch of his app ‘DHONI’ powered by Single.id where injured India keeper-batter Sanju Samson was also present.

“I know the whole app [DHONI] says ‘thoda aur’ [a little more], but the whole thing is to have that gratitude, to say thank you, to respect the elders [and] to give love to the younger ones,” he added.

He then went on to stress on the need to have a forgiving attitude, which he feels is in short-supply right now.

“I always felt having a smile on your face solves half the problem. Even if you’re not in a comfortable position, even if it’s tough to do, have the power to forgive. That is one thing that not many of us have,” said the cricketer who has never responded to the personal attacks on him by anyone, including former teammates or critics, some of whom have even accused him of hurting careers.

“We have become a very revengeful people. Isne mujhe aisa bola, main aisa bola [He said something to me, I said something back]…Just forgive, move on, be happy in life, because whatever we do… when we’re growing up, we always wanted to be happy in life,” he further stated.

Dhoni said being careless towards a few things helps in balancing the pressure of day-to-day life.

“We all feel the pressure. We always say the grass is greener on the other side. We always feel that his or her life is better, but what is important is how you manage that stress, how prepared you are,” he said.

“I keep it very simple. Growing up, we were told ‘you cannot be careless’. But I feel in today’s environment, it is important to be a bit careless because you can’t worry about each and everything that is happening around you. You cannot do things that are not in your control,” he added.

Dhoni said those who are obsessed with perception are not particularly constructive. He felt not every opinion merits a response or even consideration.

“If you get carried away with what others are saying, what others are feeling, then that important thing of what needs to be done, often you are not really giving utmost attention to that,” he said.

“I am a bit careless in life. I don’t give everything my 100% attention because I feel this is important, [or] that’s not important,” he explained.

“Even if I am listening to something [and] I can’t do anything about it so, what is the point of giving half an hour or whatever to it… and [also] having a good night’s sleep,” Dhoni concluded.

Former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has hinted at a potential return for IPL 2025, saying he wants to enjoy “whatever last few years of cricket” he can play, amid speculation regarding his availability for the upcoming season.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Former India and Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni has hinted at a potential return for IPL 2025, saying he wants to enjoy “whatever last few years of cricket” he can play, amid speculation regarding his availability for the upcoming season.

There has been speculation about Dhoni’s future since he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad in the last season and began batting lower in the order.

Franchises must submit their retained player lists by October 31 ahead of the mega auction. Dhoni could be retained by CSK as an uncapped player this year due to the reintroduction of a rule allowing players retired from international cricket for five years to be classified as uncapped.

“I just want to enjoy whatever last few years of cricket I’m able to play,” a report in ESPNcricinfo quoted Dhoni as saying on Sunday at a promotional event held in Goa a couple of days ago.

“Like how during our childhood we used to go out and play at 4[pm], just enjoying the game. But when you play professional sport it becomes difficult to enjoy the game just like a game. So what I want to do is, there are emotions and commitments, but I want to enjoy the game for the next few years.” Last week, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan had also said that he is hopeful of Dhoni being part of the upcoming season.

Dhoni, who underwent left knee surgery in 2023, batted lower down the order during the 2024 IPL edition. The former India skipper explained that this decision was primarily to provide game-time to aspiring Indian players ahead of the T20 World Cup.

“My thinking was simple, if others are doing their job well why do I need to come up the order,” Dhoni said.

“If you’re talking about last year (season) specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people who are fighting for a spot a chance.

“In our team (CSK) we had a few, (Ravindra) Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there so you give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. There was nothing in it for me, no selection and other things. So I’m good behind [playing down the order] and my team was happy with what I was doing.”

“Love how teams are playing Test cricket now”

Dhoni has praised the result-oriented aggressive approach, often referred to as “Bazball,” that teams are adopting in Test cricket these days.

“You can give cricket any term that you want to, what we have seen is cricket has evolved. The way people are playing cricket is very different. There was a time when in ODIs something was considered a safe score, now that score is not safe in T20s too,” Dhoni said.

“You give something a term, it becomes much more interesting because you start talking about it, you start relating to it but at the end of the day what is it? It’s a way to play cricket.” Having played 90 Tests for India, Dhoni reflected on the challenges of playing on the fifth day when a match appeared headed for a draw.

“For me, the most difficult time during a Test match was the fifth day of a match which is the last day when you knew that 100% it is going to be a draw,” he said in the report.

“I would still need to keep for nearly 2.5 sessions and that was the most tiring part. You see there is no result happening, you are just going through the motions. Yes, bowlers would like to take wickets, batters will try to score runs, [but] there is no result in the game.

“You think let’s finish this and go, why do I have to be here. So I love the fact there’s change in the way teams are playing Test cricket.” Not a fan of draws, Dhoni emphasized the importance of having a result after five days of play.

“Imagine telling someone who doesn’t know much cricket we play over five days and we start at 9.30 and 4.30 is the scheduled end of play, we play till 5[pm] sometimes, and after five days we don’t get a result. That’s not nice for the game. So I love how there’s more results in today’s world.

“Even if we are playing only four days of cricket and one day gets washed out, still you get a result – that’s the beauty of Test cricket and that’s how it should stay – you want to get a result after five days and you shouldn’t have a draw.”

Chennai Super Kings player M.S. Dhoni. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif feels there is no reason why Mahendra Singh Dhoni should not play the next season of the IPL, given his form, fitness and ability to play big shots with ease.

Speculation has been rife that Dhoni, who has led CSK to five IPL titles, could have played his last IPL season.

The former CSK skipper, who had undergone surgery to treat a knee injury issue last year, scored 161 runs in 73 balls at a strike rate of 220.55 this season. He was also good behind the stumps.

Kaif thinks Dhoni has enough left in the tank to keep playing.

“Personally, I don’t think he’s done, he could not win the game (last league match against RCB). In the last over after hitting a six, he got out. You could make out seeing his body language that he seemed very disappointed not winning the game for CSK,” Kaif, a cricket expert and commentator with the official TV broadcaster of IPL 2024, Star Sports, told PTI Videos.

“Why he should not come back? He is fit, he is scoring runs and hitting sixes, and there’s no reason to stop playing… it’s up to him, we can’t say with Dhoni what’s his plan,” added Kaif, regarded as one of India’s greatest fielders.

The 43-year-old also said that Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Shreyas Iyer had been a revelation with his calm demeanour, and attributed the team’s success this year to his leadership qualities.

Two-time IPL champions KKR entered their fourth final with a thumping eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 1. They had also topped the league stage with 20 points.

“He (Iyer) missed the whole IPL last year and KKR probably missed his captaincy in 2023. The way he is changing the bowlers, and picking his playing XI, he looks very calm under pressure.

“In a tournament like the IPL, you have to be very composed, you have to know what’s happening in the game and Iyer has come a long way. He has become a much better captain now,” opined Kaif.

Experts are also attributing KKR’s success this season to Gautam Gambhir returning to the side as the team mentor but Kaif said the team’s superb run had got a lot to do with how Iyer marshals his boys on the field.

“We always talk about (Gautam) Gambhir, but he can’t enter the field… in the rope with the players. Iyer has been there with the players and it will help him grow as a person and player.

“He missed out on the (T20) World Cup this year (beginning in the US and West Indies next month), but certainly it’s great learning for him, captaining the team, leading it to the finals. He has a great future ahead,” said Kaif.

Kaif said KKR were the overwhelming favourites to lift the IPL trophy this season given that they have quality bowlers and a balanced side, the two ingredients required to win.

“I think KKR is a very well-balanced side. Tournament-winning team has to have good bowlers, KKR has got the bowlers. You saw how (Mitchell) Starc bowled against (SRH in Qualifier 1), it’s a balanced side. KKR has got all bases covered in terms of batting and bowling. They are the team to beat in IPL, they are way ahead.”

Chennai Super Kings player M.S. Dhoni. File
| Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan said he is ‘very, very hopeful’ of former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni participating in IPL 2025 as a player.

Dhoni, who led CSK to a record five Indian Premier League titles, stepped down as the skipper before the start of the ongoing season, handing the responsibilities to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who led the team to a fifth place finish.

Speculations have been rife that this could be Dhoni’s final season in the tournament but Viswanathan asserted that it was completely up to the former India captain to take a final call on his future.

“I do not know. It is a question which only MS can answer. The question for us, we have always respected the decisions taken by MS. We have left it to him,” he said to a question on CSK’s YouTube channel.

“As all of you know, he has always taken his decisions and announced them at the appropriate time. We do expect that we will get a decision as and when he decides.

“But we are very, very hopeful that he will be available for CSK the next year. That is the view and expectations of the fans and mine.” Dhoni, who had underwent surgery to treat a knee injury issue last year, scored 161 runs in 73 balls at a strike rate of 220.55 this season. He was also good behind the stumps.

A mega IPL auction has been scheduled later in the year and if Dhoni continues, CSK will undoubtedly be retaining him.

However, the number of players allowed to be retained still needs clarity.

Viswanathan said that discussions are yet to take place on the same with the BCCI.

“It is too early because we have still not heard from BCCI on the kind of retentions which are going to be part of the next cycle of auction.

“So we are expecting that the BCCI would discuss with all franchise owners before they take a decision on retention.”

M.S. Dhoni is seen during the IPL match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash

Nearing 43, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s six-hitting ability and fitness remains as good as anyone and the former India skipper says he has no option but to keep working hard and stay fit since “nobody gives you a discount for age”.

Dhoni, who handed Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad at the start of the 2024 IPL season, played all 14 league stage games, batted way down the order and yet made a huge impact.

The World Cup-winning captain scored 161 runs at an incredible strike rate of 220.55, forcing many to believe that he can play for two more years in the IPL.

The iconic cricketer admitted that it is tough for him to perform after he comes straight to the IPL without playing any cricket prior to the league.

“The toughest thing is, I am not playing cricket throughout the year. So I have to be fit. Once I come, you are competing against youngsters who are fit and playing international cricket. Professional sport is not easy, nobody gives you a discount for age,” Dhoni said in a video that is doing the rounds on social media.

“If you want to play, you have to be as fit as the other guy. Age does not really give that grace to you. So, eating habits, a bit of training and all those things are there. Social media, thankfully, I am not on social media, so there’s less distraction,” Dhoni said in the video posted by Dubai Eye 103.8 YouTube channel.

For the legendary cricketer from Jharkhand, things like farming, riding bikes and vintage cars work as stress buster for him.

“Once I quit international cricket, I wanted to spend a bit more time with my family. But, at that same time, to be mentally active, to have that passion to stay focussed — for me, I love farming, for me it is the motorbikes, I have started getting into vintage cars.

“These things de-stress me. If am stressed, I would maybe go to the garage, spend a couple of hours over there and I will just be fine, I would come back,” he said.

“I have always felt growing up with a pet, whether it is a cat or a dog… I prefer dogs though. They have unconditional love towards you. I have said this in a previous interview, even if I lose a game and come back, my dog greets me the same way.” He has been a much admired leader at CSK and Dhoni said that “we need to earn that respect of the people you’re leading”.

“You cannot command or demand respect. You need to earn it. I may have a position in an institution, and yes, that position needs to be respected. But me as an individual sitting on the chair, I need to earn that respect.

“I cannot just say ‘respect me’! If you have the respect of the people around you, they give 10 to 15 percent more.

“India is slightly different. People talk about being professional. Yes, we Indians are professional, but our emotional connect is stronger. I feel as an Indian, my strength is the emotional connect. My connection with CSK is an emotional connect.

“It’s not just a player who comes and plays for a couple of months and then goes back home.” While he is not a big fan of social media, Dhoni would prefer Instagram over X to avoid controversy.

“I prefer Instagram over Twitter (X). I believe that nothing good has happened over Twitter, you know, especially in India, there’s always a controversy. Somebody will write something and it turns into a controversy.

“I was like why do I need to be there? It used to be 140 characters. You cannot elaborate. Imagine me putting something over there and then it is left to the people to read it. And they just interpret what they want to interpret.

“So I’m like, no, no, that’s not really for me. Instagram, still I like because I could put up my picture or video or something and just leave it. That is also changing now. So I still prefer Instagram, but I’m not very active because less distractions are better.”

Rain clouds hover around the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, during training ahead of the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK), in Bengaluru on May 17, 2024
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Bengaluru’s weather is so notoriously fickle that its tantrums have acquired cult status. On May 18, the city faithful will be praying that it behaves, for a washout against Chennai Super Kings will send their beloved Royal Challengers Bengaluru out.

There is indeed an inglorious tradition of rain affecting at least one RCB home game in an IPL season. An unrelenting summer has ensured that RCB has dodged the bullet six times in the 2024 edition.

However, Saturday’s forecast is for good amounts of precipitation, and it seems like luck may have finally run out.

Scope for hope

There is, of course, the state-of-the-art SubAir drainage system that can get the ground ready in no time. And if the skies relent for two hours, a five-over match is eminently possible. But would five overs do justice to a clash that will be one of the last times Virat Kohli and M.S. Dhoni face-off?

Another variable is the pitch. This season, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been far from the batting paradise it usually is; only twice has the 200-run mark been breached in 12 innings (RCB vs. SRH). But the last time CSK and RCB met in Bengaluru, 444 runs were scored. A repeat is in the hands of the weather gods.

Lucknow Super Giants captain K.L. Rahul with his Chennai Super Kings counterpart Ruturaj Gaikwad.
| Photo Credit: AP

hennai Super Kings will look to regain some momentum in what has been a start-stop campaign when it takes on Lucknow Super Giants in the reverse fixture at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on April 23. The two sides met three days back in Lucknow, where LSG easily prevailed by eight wickets.

Super Kings enters a crucial phase of the tournament with three matches at home over the next eight days, which could determine the chance of making the playoffs. CSK has won all three games in its backyard this year and will want to continue that form to add to its four wins.

However, the defending champion has some big headaches to solve, mainly around its struggles in the PowerPlay with both bat and ball.

Runs have dried up for key top-order batters like Rachin Ravindra and Ajinkya Rahane, and the batting relies heavily on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube. The skipper demoted himself to the number three in the last two matches, and it will be interesting to see if he goes back to open. Similarly, the pacers’ inability to give early breakthroughs will be an area the team needs to address.

Meanwhile, Super Giants had some positives from the previous match. The bowlers set the game up before skipper K.L. Rahul led from the front with a quick-fire half-century alongside Quinton de Kock.

The presence of spinners Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, and M. Siddharth gives the visitors depth in their squad for the conditions in Chepauk as they look to do the double against the five-time champion.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Nishant Sindhu, Moeen Ali, Mitchell Santner, Shaik Rasheed, Aravelly Avanish, Maheesh Theekshana, RS Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Richard Gleeson and Deepak Chahar.

Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (c & wk), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Thakur, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnappa Gowtham, Amit Mishra, Kyle Mayers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutt Padikkal, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Mayank Yadav and Arshin Kulkarni.

Match start time: 7.30 PM (IST).