MS Dhoni has probably played his last IPL match but CSK bowling coach Eric Simons said that people speculating about his future is crazy. This came after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their final league match of IPL 2024.
With this loss, CSK was eliminated from the race for the playoffs. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the CSK captain, won the toss and chose to field first. Virat Kohli (47 in 29) and Faf du Plessis (54 in 39) combined for 78 runs in the opening ten overs.
After a rain break, RCB struggled to gather momentum, but Rajat Patidar (41 in 23) and Cameron Green (38* in 17) wreaked havoc on CSK’s bowling in the middle overs.
Then cameos from Glenn Maxwell (16 in 5) and Dinesh Karthik (14 in 6) helped RCB reach 218/5 after 20 overs. Shardul Thakur was CSK’s leading bowler with two wickets, but he gave 61 runs in four overs.
CSK began poorly, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad for a golden duck and Daryl Mitchell for four runs. However, Rachin Ravindra’s 61 in 37 balls, combined with Ajinkya Rahane’s 33 in 22, enabled CSK to regain contention.
But then Ravindra and Rahane fell in quick succession. Ravindra Jadeja (42* in 22) and MS Dhoni (25 in 13) tried their best to get to the playoff’s qualification target of 200 runs, but CSK fell short and finished on 191/7 in 20 overs.
“There are so many memories of MS Dhoni” – Eric Simons
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowling consultant Eric Simons praised the franchise’s star MS Dhoni and believes that speculating about the veteran’s future is “crazy”. Simons has witnessed Dhoni with the Indian team during his stint as a bowling consultant in 2010. After the game, Simons pinpointed the various attributes that Dhoni offers to the team.
“There are so many memories of MS Dhoni, the knocks that he plays get you out of trouble. I was in the dugout and said it was incredible we are in a situation with our backs against the wall and he is at the wicket you just don’t stop believing he can win for you, So I think that is one of the things that he brings to the group is the incredible self-belief.
“But he has a very simple structure and understanding of the game. I think that’s what a lot of cricketers should strive for to, really understand the game and he does and he helps guys with that sort of information and knowledge so it is not to play like MS but understand your game and that’s where MS is tremendous,” Simons said after the game.
Simons gave his take on the speculations building around Dhoni’s future and disclosed the best thing that he feels about the seasoned finisher.
“But I think anybody wants to speculate about his future, that is crazy. MS knows what he is going to do. I know that this year I have seen him hit the ball from the pre-tournament camp. So he is playing extremely well and he will make the decision. But he is a fantastic guy to be around. He has been fantastic to witness from the days I was with India and now with CSK. He is an incredible cricketer and an incredible individual in terms of his understanding of cricket and life.
“I think in many ways that what he passes on to guys is the incredible self-belief, never say die and a simple understanding of the game of cricket he can put it in simple words and I think that is one of the best things about him,” Simons added.