New Delhi, March 27: Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni said that he would feel “useless” on the field if he is not doing the behind-the-stumps duty, as he reads the game well while doing wicketkeeping.

The 43-year-old continues to don the wicketkeeping gloves for the CSK as the franchise has shown immense faith in the veteran. Dhoni has been associated with CSK since the inception of the IPL, barring two seasons when the team was banned from the tournament, and led the side to five titles and 10 finals.

“If I’m not wicketkeeping, I think I’m useless on the field because that’s where I read the game in the best possible manner. It’s a challenge, and that’s what makes it interesting. Last few years, I don’t know whether it is 2 or 5 years, my franchise will be like you play till you want to play. Even if I’m on the chair, they will be like, don’t worry you play. I want to enjoy cricket, so one year at a time,” Dhoni said in a video posted by Star Sports on X.

Dhoni stepped down from the CSK captaincy role last season, with Ruturaj Gaikwad taking the reins. In the IPL 2025 season, CSK started their campaign with a comfortable win over Mumbai Indians at Chepauk on Sunday.

Despite not being the captain of the side, Dhoni is actively seen adjusting the field and guiding Gaikwad on the ground.

After the match against Mumbai, Dhoni lauded Gaikwad’s leadership skills and said the youngster takes most of the decisions on the field.

“After IPL last year, I almost immediately told him, ‘90% you will lead next season, so start preparing yourself mentally’. Before the start of the tournament, I also told him, ‘If I give you advice, it doesn’t mean you have to follow it. I will try to stay away as much as possible’,” Dhoni said on JioHotstar show “The MS Dhoni Experience”.

“During the season, a lot of people speculated that I was making the decisions in the background. But the fact is, he was making 99 per cent of the decisions. The most important calls – bowling changes, field placements – were all his. I was just helping him out. He did a brilliant job of handling the players,” he added.

Dhoni has so far played 265 games and scored 5,243 runs with 24 half-centuries to his name.

CSK will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their second match of the season at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.

New Delhi, March 27: Ahead of five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in IPL 2025, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said the upcoming clash is something he always awaits to play, citing the presence of talismanic batter Virat Kohli.

In 33 matches between the two teams, CSK have won 21 times while RCB emerged victorious on 11 occasions. What also stacks up the odds against RCB are that they have beaten CSK only once at the MA Chidambaram Stadium that too in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2008.

“They have done really well every year now. And whenever Virat Kohli is in the opposition, whenever he is playing, it is always a clash to look forward to. He’s been doing it for a really long time now, consistently for RCB and for the country as well. So, it is always a great match, and after Mumbai Indians, this is the second match we always look forward to,” said Gaikwad to JioStar on Thursday.

CSK come on the back of beating fellow five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets at Chepauk, where Gaikwad made a stroke-filled 53 off 26 balls as a number three batter.

RCB arrive in Friday’s clash after outclassing defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets at the Eden Gardens, where Kohli made an unbeaten 59 off 36 balls. Gaikwad also revealed that he had congratulated Rajat Patidar after the right-handed batter was named as the new RCB captain ahead of IPL 2025.

“Really looking forward to playing against RCB, especially with Rajat (Patidar) as the new captain. Immediately when they announced Rajat as the captain, I messaged him and wished him good luck. We have been friends for a while now, we know each other really well, and obviously, RCB has been one of the strongest teams,” he concluded.

New Delhi, March 27: The former Australian all-rounder praised Quinton de Kock’s scintillating unbeaten 97, which guided Kolkata Knight Riders to a comfortable chase against Rajasthan Royals, describing his knock as vintage and beautifully executed.

After spin twins Varun Chakaravarthy (2-17) and Moeen Ali’s (2-23) brilliance, in the absence of Sunil Narine, restricted RR to 151/9. De Kock’s unbeaten 61-ball 97, an innings that included eight fours and six sixes, ensured that KKR rushed towards the target in just 17.3 overs at the Barsapara Stadium on Wednesday night.

“It was definitely a comfortable chase, and Quinton de Kock was simply outstanding tonight. That was vintage Quinton de Kock – the kind of brilliance we’ve seen over the last 10 to 15 years, whether in the IPL or on the international stage. He executed his shots beautifully.

“That pull shot he played off Jofra Archer over mid-wicket – my goodness – it was a testament to the sublime form he’s in. This performance will give KKR tremendous confidence, knowing they have such explosive firepower in their middle order. It’s a significant confidence-boosting win for KKR tonight,” Watson said on JioHotstar.

Batting first, Rajasthan Royals made a steady start as Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 33 for the opening wicket before the former yorked himself in the fourth over. Then, their top order fell to rash shot selection as RR went from 67/1 to 82/5 in 19 balls.

Dhruv Jurel led a brief fightback, lifting the Royals from 92/5 in 13 overs to 131/6 in 18. He fell in the penultimate over, but Archer’s unbeaten 16 off 7 ensured the Royals finished with a total on the board.

Analysing Rajasthan Royals’ performance, Watson added, “The Rajasthan Royals batters struggled to find their timing and made a few execution errors, which prevented them from putting up a big total. A major difference was the calibre and quality of KKR’s spin attack.

“Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali bowled exceptionally well, whereas Rajasthan’s bowlers, particularly in the middle overs, lacked the potency we’ve seen from them in the past. This made things a lot easier for Quinton de Kock – he was patient, waiting for loose deliveries, and didn’t take unnecessary risks. With his wide range of shots, he can accelerate quickly when he’s at his best.”