Will IPL and Chennai Super Kings be the same without MS Dhoni?

Was Monday's IPL final really Mahendra Singh Dhoni's last appearance on the cricket field? Has he really retired for good?

At 41, surely Dhoni was not expected to go for another year, especially after he hurt his knee at the start of the IPL two months back. He endured the rigours of back-to-back T20 cricket across India – in the summer – through sheer grit. Most would not have put their bodies through so much, but Dhoni had a reason – Chennai Super Kings and their fervent supporters.

On the will-he-or-won't-he question, Dhoni gave a typically cryptic answer as to whether he will return to play for Chennai in next year's IPL.

"Looking for an answer? Circumstantially if you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say 'Thank you very much', but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another nine months and come back and play at least one more season of IPL," said Dhoni.

"A lot depends on the body, I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it's not easy for me but that's a gift. The way they've [the fans] shown their love and affection, I think that's something I need to do for them," he said.

It is difficult to explain just how much Chennai loves Dhoni. You have to be at the ground to experience it. Every single Chennai match this IPL has seen yellow jerseys dominate the stands, be it home or away. Even Chennai's training sessions have thousands turn up at short notice. All of that only for a glimpse of Dhoni. That's it, just a glimpse.

The social fabric of southern Indian states like Tamil Nadu, whose capital is Chennai, celebrities and movie stars are literally worshipped to such a degree, they become leaders with considerable following and routinely become top-level politicians.

Chennai Super Kings fans show their support for MS Dhoni during the 2023 IPL final against Gujarat Titans. Getty Images

But Dhoni is different. He is an outsider – hailing from the western Indian state of Jharkhand – who became Chennai's very own Thala (which means "leader" in Tamil) having transformed the franchise into the most dominant team in IPL. And there is nothing make-believe or "filmy" about Dhoni's superstardom.

People watch Chennai's games just to see him bat. It does not matter that has was forced to restrict himself to two overs of batting at best this season, due to his knee injury. The batsmen playing before him have been regularly cheered off the ground after their dismissal as that means the crowd get the chance to see who they really came to watch.

It's not that Dhoni is the most destructive batsman of IPL 2023; he has batted just 57 balls the entire tournament and was out for a rare golden duck in Sunday's final as Chennai claimed a record-equaling fifth IPL title. But it is the promise of one more six deep into the stands, possibly for the final time, that has had fans bubbling with emotions and memories of the glory days of Indian cricket when he was the captain who won it all.

Chennai Super Kings' Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most successful captains in cricket history. AFP
At 41, MS Dhoni is almost at the end of his playing days. Getty
Chennai Super Kings' MS Dhoni played with a knee injury this season. AFP
MS Dhoni remains the biggest draw in IPL. AFP
Dhoni retired from international cricket four years back but remains a crowd favourite. AFP
MS Dhoni fans at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. AFP

The tournament has witnessed unprecedented digital viewership this year, mainly because it is being shown for free in India. But, even so, Chennai and Dhoni have dominated the charts; the Super Kings' qualifier win against Gujarat had peak concurrent online viewership of 32 million.

Which gives rise to one important question – what happens after Dhoni? It is a question that runs to the very core of the franchise, and by extension the IPL itself. A disproportionate portion of the overall traffic is driven by superstar names like Dhoni and Virat Kohli.

Up-and-coming star Shubman Gull is also attracting many eyeballs, but no one comes close to Dhoni, and possibly Kohli.

If and when Dhoni hangs up his gloves, the tournament will experience a seismic shift. Teams without the "right" star power have struggled to get traction in terms of viewers, with some games not receiving even half the numbers that a Chennai or Bangalore match does.

Take Dhoni out of the equation, and who will the fans watch on a weekday, or in between important work?

For Chennai, the challenge is equally daunting. The longest-serving captain in the IPL has moulded the franchise in his image, transfusing his ethos and personality into the structure of the Super Kings. They way Chennai play, train, conduct team meetings, recruit players and assess performances all originate from Dhoni's style of thinking.

The wicketkeeper batsman has said he will continue to be a part of Chennai Super Kings even after retirement – no surprises there. He is likely to continue calling the shots for the immediate future.

But the Super Kings will be wise to realise that tying your identity to one person can't be a viable long-term plan, no matter how great the star. They have not had to worry about leadership struggles and transition like other franchises have. They will do now.

And even though Dhoni will be there with them to help get over the pain, the Super Kings must learn to live life without Dhoni, sooner or later.

Infobox

Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier, Al Amerat, Oman

The two finalists advance to the next stage of qualifying, in Malaysia in August

Results

UAE beat Iran by 10 wickets

Kuwait beat Saudi Arabia by eight wickets

Oman beat Bahrain by nine wickets

Qatar beat Maldives by 106 runs

Monday fixtures

UAE v Kuwait, Iran v Saudi Arabia, Oman v Qatar, Maldives v Bahrain

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

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