MS Dhoni is entering the final leg of his career in Indian Premier League (IPL) and this means CSK would have to look for his replacement soon. The hunt for replacing the veteran behind the stumps will begin at IPL 2025 auction. Although he has been retained for Rs 4 cr as an uncapped player, Dhoni is highly unexpected to continue for many years. This leaves the franchise with a keeper-batter slot to fill.
CSK need to look for a back-up for MS Dhoni in IPL 2025
CSK CEO Kashi Vishwanathan confirmed that the team can’t afford to spend big bucks to get star keepers like KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant at the auction. It is pertinent to point out that despite MS Dhoni’s commitment to cricket and CSK amid ageing, the team is running out of time to find his replacement in the future. One cannot forget that Dhoni had to undergo a knee surgery following IPL 2024. This very well casts aspersions on if he can keep behind the wickets for 20 overs.
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CSK have plethora of options to choose from in the IPL 2025 auction pool when it comes to keepers. Ishan Kishan is one such example. The Jharkhand keeper-batter, who has been released by Mumbai Indians, can play the dual role of an able keeper and middle-order batter for the side. The next choice can be Jitesh Sharma. The Punjab Kings vice-captain has been released by the franchise despite having a decent record with both bat and gloves.
Both these three keepers, if roped in by CSK, can act as back-ups for MS Dhoni. Given MS Dhoni’s age and his knee injury, it will be best if they do not field the former CSK skipper in every game. In that case, they will need a back-up keeper – player who can not only fill in MSD’s shoes behind the stumps but also with the bat. It would be wise for CSK to look for another keeper-batter in the IPL 2025 auction, for MS Dhoni’s good.
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