MS Dhoni approached the toss as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings after a two-year hiatus, and the Chepauk crowd expressed their excitement fervently. There was a brief wait as Dhoni lost the toss to Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane, who chose to bowl first. Once Rahane finished outlining his rationale and team strategy, Dhoni took the microphone, prompting an overwhelming cheer from the audience.

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri seized the moment to say, "We finally get to talk to you."

Dhoni is seldom available for interviews, even with broadcasters, making this his first interaction in IPL 2025. "We were hoping to bat first. On several occasions, we attempted to chase, and we found that the pitch tends to slow down, which puts pressure on the middle order if a solid start isn't achieved," Dhoni explained.

Shastri then asked about Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was sidelined from the tournament due to a fractured elbow. Referring to Ruturaj as an "authentic batter," Dhoni acknowledged that his absence would be significant.

"Missing a player like him is unfortunate; he can fulfill various roles, score heavily, and maintain a good strike rate. We will certainly miss him, but there's nothing we can do," Dhoni remarked, noting that he became the first 'uncapped player' in IPL history to lead a franchise.

‘Every game important; we have lost too many matches’: Dhoni

The captain, who has led his team to five IPL victories, assumes the helm of CSK during challenging circumstances. The Yellow Brigade has suffered defeats in four of their five matches and urgently requires a turnaround. Dhoni emphasized the significance of each upcoming game.

"Every match is crucial for us now. We have lost too many games, and it is essential to focus on the fundamentals—minimizing dot balls and securing our catches. While we have experienced a couple of significant losses, the key issues have often been minor details, such as conceding 20 runs in a single over. Our batsmen are genuine in their approach; they won't attempt to hit every ball out of the park. They simply need to trust their instincts. A strong start is vital, so we should aim for early boundaries and strive to take a few early wickets," Dhoni remarked.

KKR made one adjustment to their lineup, introducing Moeen Ali in place of Spencer Johnson.

CSK implemented two changes, bringing in Rahul Tripathi and Anshul Kamboj to replace Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Choudhary.

Chennai Super Kings XI: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed.

Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Quinton de Kock (wk), Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.

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