Former Indian and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni is the one who most exemplifies the well-known sports adage, “Age is just a number.” In 2021, little than a year after declaring his retirement from international cricket in 2020, Dhoni guided CSK to their fourth IPL championship.
Two months after his 2021 IPL run, the champion cricketer turned 40, and his retirement was the talk of the town. To the joy of CSK and IPL supporters, Dhoni, however, kept up his magic both in front of and behind the wicket until the 2024 IPL, at the age of 42.
The seasoned wicketkeeper hitter has returned for his 18th IPL season in the 2025 edition, which has just started, thus his rebellion against father time is far from over. While the majority of sportsmen in all sports hang their boots around age 40, Dhoni has had amazing success after turning 40, including throughout the 2022–2024 Indian Premier League.
In 2023, the renowned captain guided CSK to an amazing sixth IPL triumph. In 2024, he hit 13 maximums in just 73 balls with a strike rate of 220.54, which was reminiscent of a video game. Fans and even experts are still in awe of Dhoni’s incredible catches and stumpings, which have not faded in the slightest due to his wicketkeeping prowess.
In light of this, let’s examine five examples of Dhoni demonstrating that age is but a number after hitting 40.
1. Dhoni Challenges Speedometer In CSK’s IPL 2025 Opener
With his outstanding wicketkeeping performance in CSK’s IPL 2025 opener against the Mumbai Indians (MI), MS Dhoni instantly put supporters into a frenzy. Dhoni decided to break the stand himself after MI captain Suryakumar Yadav was comfortably placed on 29 and had joined the in-form Tilak Varma in a 51-run partnership.
Dhoni stunned the batter by whipping off the bails in an incredible 0.12 seconds after Noor Ahmad had beaten Surya on the drive. Because of Dhoni’s exceptional pace and anticipation, some fans even questioned whether Surya had been bowled or stumped.
The expulsion was crucial since CSK easily won the chase with five balls remaining after limiting MI to just 155 in their 20 overs.
THE REFLEXES OF MS DHONI AT 43. 🥶
– 0.12S for that Sky stumping. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Pl50olc1od
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 23, 20252. Dhoni ‘The Finisher’ against arch-rivals MI in IPL 2022
MS Dhoni’s capacity to play through pressure was the foundation for his early claim to legendary status and his rise to popularity among fans. But many questioned whether the ‘Finisher’ could still perform miracles in the last overs of the 2022 IPL season given his elderly age.
To their satisfaction and even surprise, Dhoni managed to rob arch-rivals MI once more. To cut the equation down from two to six, the then-41-year-old hammered left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat for a maximum and a boundary when 16 runs were needed off four deliveries.
Then, with four needed to complete the score, Dhoni hammered a boundary and sprinted hard for a deuce to set up another last-ball finish. As CSK fans celebrated their man’s incredible feat for the umpteenth time, he finished undefeated with 28 from 13 deliveries.
You can watch the clip of Dhoni’s magical finish from IPL 2022 here.
3. Superhuman diving catch against GT in IPL 2024
In many respects, MS Dhoni’s catches behind the wickets are underappreciated because of his lightning-fast stumpings. For those who were worried about his mobility and agility at that age, the 43-year-old’s full-length dive to his right to dismiss Vijay Shankar against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2024 served as a timely reminder.
To the joy of Chepauk Stadium supporters, Shankar drove lazily against a nice outswinger from Daryll Mitchell, only to have Dhoni throw himself to his right and snag the ball.
In a recent interview with JioStar, Dhoni characterized the catch as a “fluke” despite receiving a ton of plaudits from fans and analysts.
“It’s a fluke. If you closely monitor it, it feels like a sack of rice falling from the back of a truck. The whole thing is if we can reach with two hands, I’ve always been a fan of trying to take catches with two hands, and it helps. So it always feels good if you can contribute like this. But I’m not somebody who you would see dive around a lot or to take those, you know, great catches, one-handed great catches,” he said.
Nevertheless, it is worthwhile watching the sensational catch from Dhoni once again through this link.
4. Captaincy brilliance sends Rohit Sharma packing IPL 2023
Is MS Dhoni the captain, wicketkeeper, or finisher? Given his success in all three areas throughout the years, fans frequently struggle to decide which is the best. After Dhoni reached 40, it’s time to recall a captaincy move. We’ve already witnessed the finishing against MI and the wicketkeeping prowess.
As captain behind the stumps in another intense CSK-MI match in 2023, Dhoni maintained his composure. With Deepak Chahar in action and MI down two early wickets, Dhoni came up to the stumps for captain Rohit Sharma.
Rohit tried a quirky lap shot behind the wicketkeeper, but his timing was off, and he was caught at the gully region for a three-ball duck. The move quickly paid off.
On their way to winning their fifth IPL championship, CSK ultimately prevailed by six wickets in the 18th over.
Here is the link to Rohit Sharma’s dismissal, courtesy of MS Dhoni’s genius as skipper.
5. Wicketkeeping wizardry to dismiss the dangerous Gill in IPL 2023 final
The ‘Lightning’ MS Dhoni behind the wicket in the IPL 2023 final versus GT is finally back. CSK had to get rid of the dangerman early since Shubman Gill was in his prime, having amassed over 800 runs before the top match.
The fashionable right-hander, who had been dismissed early in his innings, seemed menacing for another significant score as he reached 39 off 19 deliveries. But Dhoni had other plans. In just a few microseconds, he executed another spectacular stumping to send Gill reeling off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling.
You can watch Dhoni’s wizardry behind the stumps in a big final in this clip.
