Why CSK Fans Are Angry With ‘Thala’ Dhoni

After 15 seasons in the IPL as Chennai Super Kings’ talismanic personality, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has drawn attention for all the wrong reasons. He evoked encomiums for his lightning stumping of Suryakunar Yadav of Mumbai Indians and Phil Salt of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the ongoing Tata-IPL-18, but after a 50 run defeat i against the RCB, Dhoni aka “Thala” is under flak for coming to bat at No 9  (with CSK at 99 for 7) against RCB which had set a formidable target of 197. Dhoni scored a quick 30 not out off 16 balls with 3x4s and 2x6s, but his blitzkrieg has far from convinced the CSK fans of his value to the team. While the majority of them go to the extent of hero-worshipping him, there were voices of dissent about him batting at No 9. One cricket lover said that a genuine CSK fan like him cannot be fooled anymore. “He should have come ahead when the target was 197,” he said. Dhoni will turn 44 coming July and once again the grapevine is rife with the news that he will hang his boots at the conclusion of this season. Australian Brad Hogg was 45 when he played his last IPL match in 2016 for KKR and Pravin Tambe was 44 when he played his last match for Gujarat Lions in 2016; this makes Dhoni the third oldest player in the league. He has featured in 138 winning matches for the CSK, averaging a little under 45 in these matches and scoring 1000-plus runs at No 4 and 5. He has batted at No 9 only twice and the CSK fans are, naturally, angry!