Why MS Dhoni and CSK’s never-ending association has little to do with cricketing logic

A couple of days before the IPL teams were to make their ‘player retention list’ public, Chennai put out a thinly-veiled social media message. There was a hint about Dhoni’s future in it. Like everything in IPL, this too had drama. The clip that expectedly went viral had the CSK mascot – Leo, the Lion – attending the constantly ringing phone. These were fans calling from across the country, asking the same question in different languages: Will Dhoni be there for next season? This lion doesn’t roar but communicates through Morse code. The video would end with Leo scribbling some dots and dashes that said: “One last time?”

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This was CSK sending out a subtle message: Giving in to the overwhelming national demand, Dhoni had decided to be around for one more season. Anything for you guys, CSK seemed to be saying.

Just to keep the fans tuned, they had added the question mark too. The suspense had to be kept alive, the ‘player retention’ big reveal – to be telecast live by the broadcaster on Saturday – too needed a theme and, more importantly, eyeballs. This was IPL, where the stakeholders had made massive investments and were now desperate for returns. In franchise cricket, at times, the commercial race becomes more important than the one playing out on the field.

So does it mean that a win or a loss doesn’t matter to IPL teams? It certainly does but it isn’t quite life or death, or even boom-or-bust, situation for them, as is the case in other major sporting leagues around the world. With no relegation or promotion in IPL, finishing at the bottom of the table doesn’t come with the sinking feeling of getting lost in the lower division and dealing with anonymity after the incredible fame.

So even if CSK hit rock bottom, there will always be the next season when everything will be the same again. The franchise will see no drop in gate money or even sponsorship. Best season or the worst, Chepauk remains jam-packed, ‘Dhoni, Dhoni’ continues to echo, fans still risk injuries and police lathis to touch their Thala’s feet. The Chennai fanatics will continue to keep dropping for Thala’s darshan.

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They are simple folks with no big demands. They live on memories; they don’t demand game-changing knocks every game or even every season. A sharp stumping, a helicopter six – that’s enough. For the CSK loyalists, these last few years, IPL has been an exhibition where Dhoni is an art installation. When I go to the Louvre, it is to see Mona Lisa smiling, not to get a high-five from her. Dhoni has aged, but his brand is ageless and it doesn’t depend on the result of the games he plays.

IPL has a unique business model, where wins aren’t sufficiently incentivised. What about the prize money? How big is the pay cheque for the champions? That’s just a cherry on the cake – a humble fruit at the top, not the delicious creamy coating. Royal Challengers Bangalore got Rs 20 crore for winning the IPL 2025, which is Rs 7 crore less than Rishabh Pant from Lucknow SuperGiants, a team that finished 7th. At the world’s biggest T20 IPL tournament, the winners don’t take all.

Another CSK decision sure to puzzle a non-IPL-watching cricket enthusiast would be the non-retention of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Though not official yet, he is expected to move to the Rajasthan Royals. Again, this too wasn’t a cricketing call nor was it an emotional one. Jadeja might not be in India’s white-ball scheme of things but he still retains a force in IPL. Anyways, a team that considers Dhoni indispensable should have a kinder view about the evergreen Jadeja and his versatility. Not to forget, Jadeja has done enough for CSK to be retained. Part of many title-winning CSK teams, he had hit a six and a four on the last two balls to help Chennai triumph in the final in 2023.

In an ideal world, Jadeja should have been groomed to be the captain. Once they did name him as a captain, but called off the experiment very soon. In the few games that the all-rounder led, the larger-than-life presence behind the stumps undermined the new captain. Dhoni was CSK’s Banyan tree under which there was no growth.

Back in the day, CSK had another player with the potential to lead the team one day. Suresh Raina had the runs, was a useful bowler, and a gun fielder like Jadeja. He had the temperament and was a brand too. But he was labelled Chinna Thala, not quite heir apparent.

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Be it cricketers or film stars, Chennai doesn’t give up on its aging stars easily. They might take time to warm up to outsiders but once they do there are no half-measures. If there is an ideal destination to rest on laurels, the CSK dugout is the place.

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