“His playing did not benefit his team”- Rashid Latif wants MS Dhoni to retire amidst IPL 2025 struggles

Former Pakistani keeper-captain Rashid Latif has brutally suggested that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni should retire from the IPL gracefully. After failing to contribute to the Chennai Super Kings' run chase for the third consecutive game in the IPL 2025 season, MS Dhoni, who was formerly referred to as the "finisher" in Indian cricket, is under a lot of pressure.

The five-time champions defeated the Mumbai Indians by four wickets to start the season, but they have since dropped to ninth place in the league rankings after losing three consecutive games while chasing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals, and Delhi Capitals, respectively.

The former captain of India still appears to be as fast behind the stumps as ever, but he has struggled to hit the boundaries and collect runs quickly, batting with a strike rate of 138.18, down from 220.55 in the previous season.

“He should have left a long while back”- Rashid Latif on MS Dhoni’s struggles

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif said in an exclusive interview with IANS that Dhoni ought to have retired from the game some time ago and that, as a batsman who has kept wickets himself, he feels the position should now be given to someone else.

“He should have left a long while back; a wicket-keeper's age is usually 35. I am an example of this. If I were on TV, then I would be a performer, and when I didn't do it at a high level, then my reputation would come down. Even if you have done it for 15 years, the younger generations will not be impressed,” Latif told IANS.

Latif further added by saying that the Chennai franchise choosing Dhoni over the team ‘is unfair to the game of cricket.'

“His playing did not benefit his team in 2019 (ODI World Cup) as well; they should have understood then. If you are choosing the team over one player, then it is unfair to the game, which is why they are getting trolled.

I saw 2-3 games, and the crowd gets very loud, but CSK needs points right now; they are at the bottom of the table, and if the reason is only one or two players, then you should realize the need of the hour,” Latif added.

Stephen Fleming, the head coach of Chennai, said he had "no idea" when the famous player might think about hanging up his boots when questioned about Dhoni's potential retirement following the defeat to Delhi.

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