"Coming out to bat at no. 9 didn't make any sense": Cricket experts, fans bash MS Dhoni after CSK vs RCB match

A match that was expected to be a nail-biter turned out to be a one-sided affair on Friday, March 28. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) outclassed Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match no. 8 of the IPL 2025. RCB started off strongly with a 45-run opening stand between Phil Salt and Virat Kohli after being put up to bat by CSK. Post their dismissal, RCB's skipper Rajat Patidar played a splendid innings of 52 from 31, and Tim David's fireworks in the end helped the team put up a strong total of 196/7 in 20 overs. Noor Ahmad bowled an excellent spell of 3-36 in 4 overs for CSK.

In reply, CSK batters kneeled down in front of disciplined bowling by RCB. Playing at their home ground, CSK never looked like putting up a fight and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rachin Ravindra was the only CSK batter who showed some intent and scored 41 runs off 31. In the end, the team fell short by 50 runs and scored only 146/8 in 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood (3-21), Yash Dayal (2-18), and Liam Livingstone (2-28) helped RCB secure a famous win at the Chepauk.

What shocked fans and experts during the match was MS Dhoni coming to bat at no. 9 when CSK needed him the most. At 80/6 in 12.5 overs, when the entire crowd at the stadium were waiting for Dhoni to help CSK get over the line, they saw Ashwin coming out to bat. This out-of-logic move attracted lots of criticism and trolling for MS Dhoni on the internet. Here's how cricket experts and fans reacted to it: