Kamal Ghorui
Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers has said MS Dhoni should bat higher in the order for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the upcoming IPL, saying that his current position lower down does not maximise his role.Dhoni, 44, will play for CSK when the season begins on March 28. De Villiers said Dhoni’s recent trend of batting at No. 8 or 9 limits his impact.Touching on Dhoni’s role in CSK, De Villiers said, “It’s very tricky and not straightforward. Brands are built over years, and CSK have built this empire over many years with this MS Dhoni figure that’s always been there. When you mention CSK, you immediately think of Dhoni.”“I feel that in the last few years, his role has purely been about keeping that brand as strong as possible. That’s why I don’t see a role for him batting at eight or nine and not really doing enough, like last season,” De Villiers said, as cited by news agency PTI.“We know he can be impactful with the bat, but if he’s batting that low and not captaining, it feels like he’s almost just making up for a spot for the wrong reasons. There’s still a place for him, but he needs to bat higher, at least at six, maybe even at five or four at times.” The former South Africa captain said Dhoni should step aside if he comes to bat below number 6. “I dofeel Rutaraj and Sanju are the perfect players to take over from MS (Dhoni). My only issue is where MS fits in and if he’s not going to have that big impact batting at 4, 5, 6 sometimes, then rather be out of the squad,” De Villiers said, adding, “Let someone else, that can maybe bowl and bat and have a bigger impact in the game,to come in there and then MS can almost sit on the side as a mentor and still guide the guys.“ De Villiers also said, “It’s a tricky situation, but Sanju Samson is the right guy to take over, and credit to Dhoni because he’s hung around, waiting for the right person to come. If MS plays, I want him to put himself under more pressure and be the guy to handle those big moments.”CSK traded in Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals (RR) ahead of the IPL 2026 auction as part of their plans for the future.
