Every great event has a starting point. For the Indian Premier League, that moment was 2007 when an unheralded group of Indian youngsters won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa.
After the failure of the senior team at the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean, the mood in India cricket was sombre. Simultaneously, 20-over cricket was gaining popularity, although India had been staunchly against embracing the fast-rising format.
At the newly created World T20 in South Africa, India sent a team filled with youngsters, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
With zero expectations, and hardly any idea about how to tackle the format, Dhoni's India won the trophy, captured the imagination of the nation, and kicked into motion a series of events that has changed the course of cricket.
The next year, the Indian Premier League was born after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) realised the true potential of the format. A rival Indian Cricket League was quickly quashed, with the Indian board taking full control of a domestic league that ushered in the franchise format.
Dhoni was there in 2007. He was there in the first IPL in 2008. He is still standing in 2025, at the age of 43, on one good knee.
His association with Chennai Super Kings is unlike any other in cricket, made deeper and stronger by the unwavering and fanatic support of the franchise.
It has reached a point where you get full stadiums just to see Dhoni practice for Chennai ahead of an IPL season. That is about the only time you get to see the former India captain pick up a bat and glove during the year, as he was pulled back from every other competitive cricket and even public life.
Chennai and Dhoni fans only want to see their favourite 'Thala' (boss in Tamil) come out to bat, irrespective of the state of the match or the fortunes of the team.
It did not bother fans that Dhoni had injured his knee a couple of seasons back and was greatly incapacitated, on top of his advancing years. The injury has restricted his duties to wicketkeeping and batting for no more than 3-4 overs at the death.
His magic still worked. In 2023, Dhoni guided the Super Kings to the final where a four and a six off the last two balls of the tournament – hit by Ravindra Jadeja – handed Chennai their fifth IPL title.
Many thought it was the ideal time for Dhoni to end his playing days, and possibly take up a management role at Chennai. But he still played on, with the untested Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain.
It has not been the same since. Chennai failed to qualify for the play-offs last year. This year, things look even worse with three defeats in their first four games.
Since everything at Chennai seems to start and finish at Dhoni, it is the T20 veteran's actions on the field that have garnered the most attention.
Tongues started wagging when he came in at number nine against Bengaluru while chasing 197 and the team tottering at 99-7.
Dhoni could not take the team past the finish line against Rajasthan, making 16 from 11 while chasing 183. It was the same story against Delhi at home as Dhoni laboured to 30 from 26 balls while chasing 184.
The Super Kings lost all three matches. In all the games so far, Chennai's top order has been shockingly conservative, showing almost no intent of maximising the powerplay overs and leaving way too much to do in the final overs.
But the conversation somehow leads back to Dhoni. Even though there are much bigger issues such as the selection of batters like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar – not exactly T20 box office – or that of a finger spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin whose effectiveness has clearly waned.
Unfortunately, that is what happens when the entire identity of the franchise revolves around you. The franchise and IPL management might be happy to push Dhoni to play as long as is physically possible, because the fans simply can't get enough of him, and also because he is still sharp as a wicketkeeper and a tactician.
But how long will Dhoni play, with one good knee and an inability to make an impact with the bat for extended periods?
Chennai and Dhoni might still stumble upon some luck, grab a few wins and get back on track. It is a long tournament after all. However, is the pain worth it? If questions are already being asked, especially by some Chennai fans now, you already know the answer.
