MS Dhoni asked to ‘go’ after CSK finish bottom of the points table in IPL 2025: ‘You have overstayed your welcome’

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) talisman MS Dhoni might have said that he has 5-6 months to decide whether to return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year or not, but former India spinner Murali Kartik believes the World Cup-winning captain has possibly overstayed his welcome in the premier T20 competition.

Five-time champions CSK finished their IPL 2025 campaign on a high after registering an emphatic 83-run against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. At the post-match presentation, Dhoni refrained from giving a definite answer about his future. The 43-year-old just said he’s looking forward to going back to his hometown Ranchi.

For the first time in their history, CSK finished at the bottom of the points table with just eight points from 14 matches. Dhoni’s performances also left much to be desired as he was unable to finish off games for the franchise. On a couple of occasions, his batting position also ruffled a few feathers as he walked out to the middle at No.9.

Speaking about Dhoni’s future, Murali Kartik said that it is time that Dhoni calls time on his IPL career, as certain things always have to come to an end.

“As much as the world loves Dhoni and as much as certain things we don’t want to end, a day has to come when they have to go. Sometimes what happens is that you don’t want to be pushed, isn’t it? Sometimes, you don’t want even the ones who love you to actually say, ‘You have overstayed your welcome’. Even if it’s MS Dhoni or whoever, just think about it,” Kartik said on Cricbuzz.

“Now that Virat Kohli has gone, everyone is saying, ‘you had two three years left. You are 36. You are so fit’. With Dhoni, you don’t know. I have always said this he doesn’t allow his left hand to know what his right hand is thinking. For us, it is very difficult to figure out what is going on in his mind,” he added.

Ruturaj Gaikwad should stay captain

Midway through the IPL 2025 season, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad got ruled out of the tournament due to a hairline fracture on his elbow. It was then that MS Dhoni was announced as the stand-in captain.

While addressing a fan question about whether Dhoni can captain the franchise next season, Kartik said that the leadership role now belongs to Ruturaj Gaikwad and he should be given time to make the team his own and get accustomed to the captaincy.

“One of the main reasons why the captaincy was handed to Ruturaj was the passing of the baton so I don’t think even if MS Dhoni comes back, with MS Dhoni you don’t know what he’s thinking, is it for the sake of the franchise or sake of whatever. No one knows. I don’t think they will take the captaincy away from Ruturaj Gaikwad and give it to Dhoni,” said Kartik.

“Those are huge shoes to fill, so you have to allow people to find their own shoes. You can’t ask everyone to go into MS Dhoni’s shoes. Everybody has to be their own person and figure out a way to learn on the job. Allow people to find their own boots and make them bigger rather than asking them to fill those boots,” he added.

Speaking of MS Dhoni, the batter was a pale shadow of his old self in the IPL 2025 season. He struggled particularly against spinners and was even unable to rotate the strike against slower bowlers.