“Playing more as a brand …”: Sanjay Manjrekar’s Hug Statement on MS Dhoni’s No. 9 stunt

MS Dhoni Copped a Lot of Criticism from Fans and Experts alike as he came out to bat at no. 9 in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ‘S Defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in ipl 2025. Chasing a Big Total, CSK Sent Out Batters like Sam Curran and Ravichandran ashwin ahead of dhoni The most reputed power-hitters in the game. Former India Cricketer and Reputed Expert Sanjay Manjrekar has given his take on the decision, stating that dhoni’s presence in the csk team is batcoming more due to his brand and less Due to Playing.

“I will look at the larger picture. If you look at this year and even last year, dhoni is playing more as a brand than a player,” Manjrekar said, speeched on jIostar.

“When they select the playing xi, they do’t pick an extra batter trust ms there. Ms dhoni is a bonus for them.

While manjrekar acknowledged the incredible brand of dhoni, he did admit that his abilitys are not being utilized properly by csk by sending heIM so low down the order.

Manjrekar even stated that Dhoni should become the captain of the franchise so that his utility increases.

“I think if ms dhoni is playing and batting so lat, he should be the captain. Manjrekar said.

Dhoni Slammed 30 Runs Off 16 Balls Against RCB Despite Coming in to Bat at No. 9. However, his late arrival meant that that thats Runs Held Little Value and Came at a time when the game was already over.

MS Dhoni was retained for just Rs 4 Crore by csk ahead of IPL 2025, with players who haven’t played international cricket for five or more year being allowed to be retailed.