'Send Dhoni up and let him smash' – Harbhajan Singh questions CSK’s batting strategy in IPL 2025

The MS Dhoni debate is making waves as IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) continues, with many experts criticizing his role in the tournament for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Former CSK spinner Harbhajan Singh has also shared his opinion on Dhoni and provided statistics regarding his performances since IPL 2023.

Dhoni’s batting position has been one of the biggest talking points of the tournament, as he has been coming in at unusual spots in the lineup. In the last match, he batted at number seven, with Ravindra Jadeja being sent ahead of him. Harbhajan Singh criticized this move by the management and highlighted statistics showing that the former India skipper has averaged more runs in losses than in matches CSK has won.

“I would like to present some stats. Dhoni sahab bahut bade khiladi hain, par jab woh aaye hain, match khatam ho chuka tha (Dhoni has been a great player, but by the time he came out to bat, the match was all but over). Whenever Dhoni has chased since IPL 2023 in winning causes, he has scored just 3 runs in 9 balls, without a single boundary or six. But in losing causes, Dhoni has scored 166 runs in 84 balls with 13 fours and 13 sixes,” Harbhajan said on his YouTube channel.

“This means that Dhoni averages just 8 in matches CSK has won, while in the games lost, his average is 49. Who wants to watch matches lost? And this, I think, is a major issue CSK needs to fix,” the four-time IPL champion added.

Harbhajan backs Dhoni for higher batting position

Furthermore, Harbhajan Singh also mentioned that he preferred to see MS Dhoni bat higher up the order, as it would give him the freedom to play his natural game and score more runs, which would be beneficial for the team in the future.

“The team management needs to look at this differently. Send Dhoni up and leave him alone. Tell him to smash, because if he scores runs, then that would matter. Otherwise, there isn't much to nitpick. He still smashes them, but these stats aren't materializing,” Harbhajan concluded.