The former Indian captain batted at number seven in their defeat to the Rajasthan Royals. His debut at number nine against Royal Challengers Bengaluru stunned both analysts and fans.
Fleming stated that Dhoni has been managing his workload while combining his wicket-keeping responsibilities for the IPL 2025.
Behind his batting position, knee condition? Fleming spoke to the media after CSK’s narrow six-run loss to Rajasthan Royals, explaining Dhoni’s batting position.
He claimed that Dhoni’s knee condition, which limits his capacity to endure prolonged batting sessions, had an impact on the decision. “His knees aren’t what they used to be,” Fleming said. “And he’s moving okay, but there’s still an attrition aspect to it. He can’t bat 10 overs running full stick.”
Strategic decision
Batting position determined by match situation
Fleming went on to say that Dhoni regularly assesses his physical condition to see how much he can contribute to the team. “He will gage on the day what he can give us,” Fleming explained. “He will go a little bit earlier if the game is in the balance like today, and he backs other players when other opportunities are up,” This way, CSK gets the most out of Dhoni while managing his physical limitations.
Managing a team Role as leader and wicket-keeper takes precedence
Fleming stressed that despite Dhoni’s phenomenal quickfire cameos, his role as a leader and wicket-keeper for CSK is far more crucial than his batting contributions.
“He’s too valuable to us – leadership and wicket-keeping – to throw him in nine, 10 overs,” said Fleming. “He has actually never done that.”
Notably, Dhoni has been batting at number eight since the 2024 IPL edition.
Decision to bat lower down the order
Dhoni batted at number nine against RCB, a shocking move that left many wondering what had happened. This was especially surprising as CSK lost regular wickets (80/6) while chasing 197. They eventually fell short by 50 runs.
Sam Curran, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin all batted ahead of him. In a previous interview, Dhoni had explained his decision to bat lower down the order, saying he wanted to give youngsters fair chances.