“He can’t bat 10 overs running full-stick” - Stephen Fleming on MS Dhoni batting down the order

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed the reason behind the former captain MS Dhoni coming down the order in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. He batted at No. 9 against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, raising concerns as they lost by 50 runs.

Later, against the Rajasthan Royals franchise, Dhoni came at No.7, scoring 16 runs off 11 balls with one four and a six. Eventually, CSK suffered a six-run loss to bag their second consecutive loss in three games in this campaign.

Nevertheless, Fleming has asserted that Dhoni isn’t coming up in the order due to his knee condition. The 43-year-old is managing his fitness carefully and can’t bat for longer periods of time. Moreover, he stated that Dhoni is still valuable to the franchise.

"Yeah, it's a time thing. MS judges it. His body is; his knees aren't what they used to be. And he's moving okay, but there's still an attrition aspect to it. He can't bat 10 overs running full-stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us. If the game's in the balance like today, he will go a little bit earlier, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he's balancing that," Stephen Fleming said in the post-match press conference.

"I said it last year [as well], he's too valuable to us—leadership and wicketkeeping—to throw him in for nine or ten overs. He has never done that. So, look, from around 13-14 overs, he's looking to go, depending on who's in," he added.

CSK are currently at the seventh rank on the points table with one win and two losses, picking up two points at an NRR of -0.771. RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, is currently leading the standings with two consecutive wins, picking up four points at an NRR of 2.266.

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