Sunil Gavaskar defends MS Dhoni's abilities in IPL

Sunil Gavaskar has spoken out in defense of MS Dhoni, urging people to stop questioning the legendary cricketer's skills as he prepares for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Gavaskar emphasized that for Dhoni, who is 43 years old, "age is just a number." He believes that Dhoni will once again silence his critics during the upcoming season. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will kick off their IPL 2025 campaign against arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) on Sunday. Dhoni is known for being one of the few players to have participated in every IPL season. Most of his appearances have been with CSK, except for two seasons with the Rising Pune Super Giants during CSK's ban. Since Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, fans have often speculated about how much longer he will play. Gavaskar questioned why people continue to raise this issue. He stated that Dhoni consistently proves his doubters wrong, reminding everyone of Dhoni's impressive performance during practice, where he hits powerful sixes. In IPL 2024, Dhoni scored 161 runs in 11 innings, with a remarkable strike rate of 220.55. The previous year, he scored 104 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 182.46. In a separate discussion, former Australia opener Matthew Hayden praised the historic matchup between CSK and MI. He noted the significance of the game being held at CSK's home ground, M Chidambaram Stadium. Hayden also highlighted the importance of CSK's spin bowlers, especially noting the return of Ravichandran Ashwin. He expects them to play a key role on the turning pitch. The match is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST.