During the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, former cricket player Suresh Raina stated that he expects nothing but helicopters from his good friend MS Dhoni. Raina supported Dhoni's success as a finisher for the Chennai Super Kings in the forthcoming season and commended his ability to remain healthy at 43. According to Suresh Raina, who recently met MS Dhoni, the former captain of CSK is committed to giving the five-time champions his all during the upcoming IPL season, which starts on March 22.
Raina on Dhoni
Recalling their pre-season practices from his own days as a Super Kings player, Raina emphasized how Dhoni had started practising for the IPL 2025 season as early as February. The former batter, affectionately referred to as CSK's "Chinna Thala," claimed that Dhoni used to even postpone advertising shoots in order to get to CSK's preseason training as soon as feasible.
"I will tell you one secret. Everyone talks about his fitness, his wicketkeeping skills, and his captaincy. But not many have noticed how much power he generates from his bat lift. He always emphasised going to Chennai one month prior to the season. When I was playing for India and CSK, we made sure we cancelled shoots to go to Chennai. We batted for three hours every day. Every week, we used to practise for four to five days. Then, in the remaining two days, we would do match simulations. On those rough pitches, we used to play spinners," Raina, a JioStar expert, said in response to a question from IndiaToday.in.
Dhoni played as a lower-order finisher last season, and Raina believes he will do so again in the IPL 2025. He played in all 14 CSK matches in 2024, scoring 161 runs in 11 innings with a remarkable strike rate of 220.54. Despite only facing 73 balls this season, he had a huge effect with the bat down the order.
"Last year, he hit many sixes. He looks very strong, and he is very, very determined to perform for CSK. The team looks very strong from one to six. He will get two or three years. I think this year too, we will see Thala's helicopters. Definitely, he will play the finisher's role. He will have his plans for this season. He is the oldest player in the IPL this year, but he has different things going on in his mind. His fitness is still supreme," Raina said.
MS Dhoni, 43, will be the oldest player in IPL 2025. Chennai Super Kings kept the World Cup-winning former captain as an uncapped player. The BCCI revived a regulation that allowed players who had not played for the senior national team in the previous five years to be retained as uncapped players for Rs 4 crore. CSK's choice to keep him before the mega auction put a stop to rumors regarding his retirement.