Same IPL arena, a different MS Dhoni

It will be over soon, he has repeatedly indicated against the backdrop of yellow diehards chanting "Dhoni, Dhoni". That has only prompted a more spontaneous outpouring of sentiments and highlight reels featuring the best of MS Dhoni — the helicopter shots, the many hairstyles, the steely glare, last-ball wins and podium finishes. Best captain ever? Coolest finisher in modern times?

And since he is also an intensely private person, the verified and unverified stories only add to his legend. We are also witnessing a never-before-seen version of Dhoni the batter—a lower-order dasher focused on only targeting the boundaries. No test of patience, no running down the chase to an achievable equation, no mind games, Dhoni this IPL season has been all about plain hitting.

Nine rounds into this IPL, Dhoni has faced just 35 balls across the six times he has batted. That is a phenomenal drop from all his previous stints, the lowest being 107 balls in 2021. That edition was also Dhoni's worst, returning a strike rate of 106.54, with a highest of 18* and just three sixes.

This season has been a different story so far. His strike rate is an unprecedented 211.42. More jaw-dropping is his six conversions – one every four balls. Never has IPL witnessed such a brief but effective version of Dhoni.

The change has been evident from CSK's first match of the season itself, when Dhoni came out to bat against Gujarat Titans at No 8 — the first time he had batted this low in his T20 career. He scored a seven-ball 14.

Barring the GT innings and a 17-ball 32 against Rajasthan Royals, the other four innings of Dhoni have lasted fewer than five balls, and always in the 20th over. Questions have been raised why Dhoni didn't promote himself against Punjab Kings on Sunday, for example – CSK scored 200 and PBKS chased it down off the last ball. Or whether he should have come out earlier against Rajasthan Royals in a chase where CSK ultimately fell short by three runs. But Dhoni is visibly a reluctant finisher — probably a reason why CSK prefer to bat first more this season.

Dhoni is also almost 42.

The knees are creaking and coach Stephen Fleming has made no bones about it, especially after the defeat against RR where Dhoni was seen limping at times.

"He doesn't want to bat more than two overs in IPL 2023," said Yusuf Pathan on Star Sports. "Fans want Dhoni to hit fours and sixes. His knee injury has also impacted his movement. Mahi is backing himself to have the maximum impact in minimum balls."

For some batters, along with more restrictions comes greater clarity of mind. Giving himself as few balls as possible was the first step for Dhoni. Maximising on the bowlers' errors was the next. "I don't fancy too many things," Dhoni said after the Royals match. "I just wait for the bowlers to commit a few errors. You need to back yourself."

Smoking a Sam Curran full toss over deep midwicket for an 88m six was one way Dhoni capitalised on a major bowling blunder on Sunday.

The ball before that, Curran tried a wide bouncer but Dhoni uppercut it over point for six. Not exerting himself, not taking a run or two, or taking on throws from the deep, Dhoni did what was asked of him—maximise on errors and give the fans what they want, while showing there is more to him than we already know.