Despite his poor IPL 2025 start, Robin Uthappa defended the CSK star, saying, “MS Dhoni is not the problem.”

Another hot topic of conversation has been MS Dhoni batting position. In one game, he batted at number eight, and in another, at number nine. He needs to go up the order, according to cricket fans. Dhoni batted at number five in CSK’s final match against the Punjab Kings on Tuesday, April 8. He was still unable to push his team to the limit, though.

The performance of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the renowned MS Dhoni has been questioned in the 18th Indian Premier League (IPL). In their first five games, the Men in Yellow have suffered four defeats. Meanwhile, among others, experts like Navjot Singh Sidhu have questioned Dhoni’s lack of intent.

With a strike rate of 153.74 and an average of 51.50, the former captain of India has amassed 103 runs from five innings. He hasn’t, however, been able to deliver the masterpiece in finishing that the cricket community has come to expect. When CSK was trying to reach a target of 184 runs against the Delhi Capitals, the 43-year-old produced an undefeated knock of 30 off 26 balls. It was a 25-run loss for the five-time champions. The wicketkeeper-batter might have gone for the big hits far sooner in the innings, according to experts and fans.

However, Robin Uthappa, a former cricket player for India and CSK, believes that Dhoni’s performance isn’t the team’s issue.

According to Uthappa, MS Dhoni divided up his duties among others to ease the team’s transition.

“MS Dhoni never seemed to lack intent, in my opinion. I think he has delegated responsibilities to others, even outside of the IPL, and given them a clear idea of what to anticipate in the upcoming years as CSK restructures into a team that can fight for a title. “We would love to see MS bat like he is right now, maybe a little higher up the order, but that transition is happening, and I don’t think the problem lies at the end,” Robin Uthappa stated on JioHotstar.