MS Dhoni no longer the finisher he once was, has to bat up the order for CSK, says ex-India cricketer

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has not enjoyed the best of form in the past couple of seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The lack of cricket throughout the year has clearly been reflected in Dhoni's performances for CSK ever since his retirement from international cricket in August 2020.

Dhoni last played an international game for India during the 2019 ODI World Cup and has since played no competitive cricket apart from the IPL. The lack of competitive cricket has taken a severe toll on his performances in the league and his waning prowess with the willow has been quite evident.

As CSK gear up to defend their title this year with a slightly revamped batting line-up compared to their title-winning campaign last year, former India cricketer Reetinder Sodhi has urged Dhoni to bat up the order for his team. Sodhi believes Dhoni is no more the finisher he once was and needs to come up inthe order for the Men in Yellow.

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"MS Dhoni has to bat up the order because he is no longer the same finisher that he was known to be a few years back. If he takes his time, comes in the 10th or 11th over, he can hit the lusty blows later. MS Dhoni knows that he is the key to CSK's prospects," Sodhi said on India News.

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Dhoni has massively struggled to score runs consistently in the IPL over the last two seasons. He could only manage 200 runs at an average of just 25 in the 2020 season before scoring 114 runs last season at an average of just 16.28. In IPL 2021, Dhoni was seen demoting himself in the batting order on a number of occasions to give the other batters a chance.

While Dhoni's return to some sort of form will act as a huge boost for CSK, Sodhi believes CSK's chances will also rely heavily on the kind of season star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has for the franchise. Jadeja is one of the most important members of the CSK squad and has been in brilliant form with the bat and ball recently.

"Ravindra Jadeja's form will be very important. The way he batted in the Mohali Test match, the way he is bowling, these are great signs for Chennai that if he picks form, he can take Chennai to the IPL final. Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni - all these big players have to take a lot of responsibility," said Sodhi.

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CSK will open their campaign against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 29.