MS Dhoni, the veteran Chennai Super Kings (CSK) wicketkeeper-batsman, has spoken up about some of his incredible childhood experiences ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. During his recent conversation with Raj Shamani, Dhoni shared some of his early recollections.
He disclosed that he was constantly terrified of his father while he was a child growing up in Ranchi. MS Dhoni claimed that he used to be afraid of his father because he was so rigid and disciplined.
“Papa se darr bohot lagta tha (I used to be really scared of my father). He was very strict. He was regimented; always supposed to be on time. But that’s also why I am regimented. It’s not like he used to beat us or something. But that fear was there. My friends would climb walls in the colony, but I never dared. If my father sees, then we are gone! We never knew what the consequences would be, but we were afraid nevertheless,” he said (via Hindustan Times).
MS Dhoni also disclosed that he didn’t get engaged in a lot of trouble because his professors knew his entire family because his school was located in the same community as his home. He also mentioned that the only competitive activity he engaged in as a child was playing games in the colony.
MS Dhoni and CSK’s troubles in IPL 2025

Regarding the current IPL season, MS Dhoni and CSK have not exactly had a successful start. Chennai has only won one game in four. They are in ninth place on the table after three losses.
Although they defeated the Mumbai Indians in their first game, they have since suffered three straight losses. Prior to failing to chase down 183 runs against the Rajasthan Royals, CSK was unable to chase down 197 runs against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at home.
Chennai Super Kings showed inadequacies in their attempt to pursue 184 runs during their most recent outing against Delhi Capitals. Criticism has been directed at MS Dhoni for batting below his typical lineup position along with batting criticisms against his team.

CSK games suffered losses because of Dhoni’s batting strategy that delayed his entry into the inning. The batting statistics for him stand at 76 runs with an average of 76 and strike-rate of 138.18. The squad currently has the worst position in the standings despite Dhoni failing to enhance their performance.