FOR Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has brought with it a massive challenge of transition. As the 18th year brings new challenges of adulthood in a human’s life, the 18th edition has thrown up the same question for CSK -- What Next? Always a darling of the crowd, even from opposition teams, the CSK have remained totally off-colour in this entire season. They have become the first team to get knocked out of the play-offs race and now stare at the possibility of finishing at the bottom. It has been a gigantic fall for the multipletime champion despite having their ‘Thala’, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, at the helm. Dhoni knows what went wrong, the support staff led by coach Stephen Fleming also knows the reasons behind the downward spiral.

 

The point is not about the things that have gone awry, it is about the future and the course the franchise chooses to rebuild the Yellow Brigade. The poor show this time should, in fact, make the job easier for Chennai Super Kings. They had the inkling of things turning bad in the last few editions. A series of retirements of senior players, who had built the Yellow aura, was already showing effects. This year’s auction, too, showed the lack of creative thinking in the team management. It is absolutely clear that their investments have gone down the drain as the team could win only two games so far. In short, CSK has remained too much dependent on the charisma of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This will be the biggest dilemma for the owners while going ahead and charting a future course for the upcoming editions. Dhoni, the batsman, is definitely past his sell-by date.

 

His abilities as a power-hitter and a finisher have waned over they years. The dodgy knee has hampered the skipper’s movements. And to cap it up, Dhoni’s tactics have also come up as totally baffling this season. His reluctant to bat up in the order was too glaring to be missed in the first few games. In the later games, the Chennai captain had little to redeem himself as the team kept failing him in all departments. Dhoni’s own admission about things going totally out of control has added to the frustration of the franchise owners. They now have to take the big call in the coming months —Whether to keep Dhoni in the scheme of things or simply part ways with the former Indian skipper? It will be a really difficult choice. Dhoni has become a cult in Chennai. His aura has transcended beyond his on-field performances. Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not just a player, he has become a brand. It will be a tough choice for the CSK owners to choose between the man and the brand. The emotional weight of Dhoni as the CSK face will be too heavy to deal with for the franchise owners. They can keep him as a mentor to build the team afresh. However, whether i