Mahendra Singh Dhoni is enduring a tough time in the middle (in IPL 2025), and despite that, Punjab Kings spinner Yuzvendra Chahal admits no one can afford to give an easy ball to him, knowing its repercussions. Ahead of the marquee PBKS vs CSK match on Tuesday (Apr 8), Chahal reflects on his equation with MS Dhoni and how both know a bit about each other’s plans.

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Dhoni has kept wickets for Chahal for the longest time since Chahal’s white-ball debut, with IPL’s highest wicket-taker admitting how good MS is at reading minds and everyone’s body language; however, Chahal didn’t mince his words in accepting that he also understands what Dhoni is thinking, perhaps just 2 or 3% if not much.

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Detailing enough on how he plans to bowl against MS should both face off in Mullanpur, Chahal said if MS walks into bat inside the first ten overs, his strategy is entirely different than when he mostly comes into the death, where lately, he has failed to repeat his past heroics.

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“Mahi bhai has watched me bowl from behind the stumps for years. He knows how I bowl, what I think, and what I’m likely to do. I can read — maybe 2 or 3 per cent — of what Mahi bhai is thinking. I know the kind of situations he comes into bat. If he walks in between overs 1–10, we know we have to attack. But if he comes in the later stages of the match, we understand exactly what he’ll try to do. We plan accordingly," Chahal said. 

"You can’t give him an easy ball — if you do, he’ll send it out of the park," the leg-spinner added.

Dhoni’s reply on retirement

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Dhoni might have done Dhoni things in the past, but as the age is catching up, he hasn’t done justice to his role and reputation thus far this season. His brief stays at the crease are like a pale shadow of himself this time, with speculations of him finally hanging his boots also doing rounds on social media.

Addressing his retirement rumours on a recent podcast with Raj Shamani on his YouTube channel, Dhoni said, "I am still playing the IPL and one year at a time. I am 43, by the end of this IPL season, I will be 44 in July. So, I have 10 months to decide whether I want to play one more year, and it's not me deciding; it's my body, whether you can play or not.”

(With inputs from agencies)