Former Indian cricketer and Chennai Super Kings stalwart Ambati Rayudu has pinpointed the core challenge facing the legendary MS Dhoni and the CSK franchise ahead of the 2025 Indian Premier League season. According to Rayudu, the crux of the issue lies in the team's composition following the recent mini-auction.
The Core Challenge: A Shift in Personnel
In a candid conversation with The Cricket Monthly, Rayudu elaborated on the unique situation confronting Dhoni. He highlighted that the iconic captain's instinctive leadership style, which relied heavily on reading players on the field, is now being tested. The biggest challenge with CSK that he is facing this year is, he doesn't have the personnel that he always had, Rayudu stated.
He explained that with his familiar set of players, Dhoni could effortlessly execute his plans on the cricket ground. However, Rayudu bluntly assessed that the auction didn't go right for CSK, leading to this new dynamic. The franchise spent a total of Rs 43.40 crore in the December 2025 mini-auction, making significant investments in uncapped talent.
CSK's Auction Strategy and Dhoni's Continued Role
The auction saw CSK splurging Rs 14.20 crore each on uncapped all-rounder Prashant Veer and wicketkeeper-batsman Kartik Sharma. This massive investment made them the joint-most expensive uncapped players in the history of the IPL. This strategy marks a departure from CSK's traditionally stable core, which Dhoni had mastered leading.
Dhoni, retained as an uncapped Indian player before the auction, remains a pivotal figure for the franchise. His importance was underscored in the 2025 season when he captained CSK for a few matches after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was injured. This was a reminder of his enduring leadership, having previously captained CSK in over 270 IPL matches and led them to five IPL titles and two Champions League triumphs before stepping down in 2024.
Rayudu on Dhoni's Unpredictable Genius
Rayudu, who played under Dhoni for years, showered praise on his former captain's distinctive approach. He called Dhoni's unpredictability his greatest asset, stemming from a captaincy style that was not overly reliant on statistics. MS Dhoni was quite unique. And that is the reason why he was very unpredictable, because he would never do something that the stats say, Rayudu remarked.
He contrasted this with the modern, data-driven approach to cricket, suggesting that a Dhoni-type captain I don't think will happen in this era of cricket. Rayudu described Dhoni as a leader who analyzed situations on the ground and picked up on the body language of his players to make impactful decisions in real-time.
As CSK builds a new-look squad with record-breaking investments in uncapped players, the franchise will rely heavily on Dhoni's experience and unique instincts to navigate the upcoming IPL season. The challenge, as Rayudu frames it, is for Dhoni to adapt his legendary methods to a fresh group of personnel, making the 2025 campaign a fascinating chapter in the CSK saga.
