MS Dhoni has done it again. Yet again, he has stepped away from a role without an announcement, forget fanfare. Right from his Test retirement back on December 30, 2014, Dhoni has once again caught everyone by surprise. Nobody outside the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seemed to have an inkling until Ruturaj Gaikwad turned up for the captains’ photoshoot a day before the first match of this IPL edition: CSK against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Minutes later, CSK management confirmed the matter with a one-liner press release that chose to not mention the player’s job since he is not the captain. Since there has been no comment, let’s assume he is not stepping away as a player, meaning he is going to keep and might occasionally bat.
It should be due to the Impact Player regulation that Dhoni, even when stepping down, might be able to stay as the leader on the field. It provides an exciting new opportunity for the CSK. They can have Dhoni on the field for the entire 20 but as a batter when his impact will be the most.
It is no mystery that Dhoni was batting only in specific-matchups or a few deliveries when the impact player was new last year. If they bat first, they can start without him in the XI. If they lose wickets and match-ups allow, they can bring him in instead of batter during the innings. If they don’t need him at all, he can replace a batter and keep through the defense. If they chase, he can keep through the innings and make way for a batter anytime in the chase. He also frees up a slot in the XI that they will replace a batter with an additional bowler in particular-matchups. Be it however, Dhoni has provided a lot of chat points and tactical options right before an otherwise non-eventful start to the IPL.
