Months after IPL 2024, former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni revealed that he batted lower down the order during last IPL season in order to help his CSK teammates Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube prove their mettle and improve their chances of getting selected for ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
In recent IPL editions, Dhoni has demoted himself down the order. In IPL 2024, he batted as low as no.8 and scored at a stupendous strike rate of 220.54.
"My thinking was simple. If others are doing their job well, why do I need to come up the order. If you're talking about last year specifically, the T20 World Cup squad was going to be announced soon. So we have to give people a chance who are fighting for that spot. In our team, we had a few, Jadeja was there, Shivam Dube was there, so you need to give them an opportunity to prove themselves to get into the Indian team. My selection was not going to happen since I no longer play for India. So I wanted to give them a chance," Dhoni revealed at an event held in South Goa last Friday where he was a brand ambassador for Rigi.
While Jadeja’s selection was almost certain, Dube ensured his spot as he scored 396 runs from 14 innings at an average of 36 and strike rate of 162.29. The left-hand batsman scored three half-centuries during IPL 2024.
Dhoni scored 161 runs from 11 innings at an average of 54.66. He hit 13 sixes and remained not out 8 out of 11 times. He took CSK to the doorstep of qualification in the must-win game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) but lost his wicket to left-arm fast bowler Yash Dayal.
At IPL 2024, Dhoni was fan favourite player despite his modest performance. Dhoni who retired from international cricket in August 2020, has been available only for IPL, playing for Chennai Super Kings.
His fans have to wait for around ten months to see him in action. But, despite the lack of appearance among fans in the past four years, Dhoni's craze has only increased with the passage of time.
Dhoni also revealed that he is enjoying his last few years of cricket he is able to play. He is most likely to return to IPL 2025. However, there is suspense over whether Dhoni will be retained as an uncapped player by Chennai Super Kings.
