‘At 43, MS Dhoni has the fastest hands as a wicketkeeper’: Robin Uthappa | Cricket News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: The upcoming IPL season might give cricket fans another glimpse of MS Dhoni’s brilliance, as the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain is expected to bat lower in the order at No. 7 or No. 8. According to former India batter Robin Uthappa, this strategy would allow Dhoni to maximize his impact in a limited number of deliveries.
At 43, Dhoni has shown no signs of slowing down, proving his readiness for IPL 2025 during a CSK net session on Tuesday. In a display of his signature power-hitting, he launched a searing yorker from Matheesha Pathirana over the bowler’s head with his trademark helicopter shot.

“As far as Mahi is concerned, I think we will get to see glimpses of his brilliance because I have a feeling that he might bat at number 7 or number 8. Very much like last year, and we will see him bat between 12 and 20 balls through the season,” Uthappa said.
However, when asked if this would be Dhoni’s final IPL season, Uthappa remained non-committal.
“I don’t think the passion ever dies. MS’ love for the game has not dwindled at all. I think his passion for the game keeps him going. At 43, I think he’s got the fastest hands in the world as a wicketkeeper.

“And if you’ve got those skills and if you’ve got the passion to keep going, I don’t think anything should stop you. I won’t be surprised if he retires at the end of the season. But I won’t be surprised if he even goes on to play for another four seasons after this,” Uthappa, a JioStar expert, said while addressing the media before the start of IPL 2025.
BIG SEASON FOR KOHLI AND ROHIT
The IPL 2025 season will also mark the return of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to the T20 format for the first time since India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024.
Uthappa believes both veteran batters are set for an excellent season.
“I don’t think they’ll have even an iota of issues to come out there and smash the living daylights out of bowlers. Virat has really come through in good form. He’s familiar with conditions in Bangalore, and he’s always going to thrive there,” he said.
“In the recent past, Rohit hasn’t lived up to his potential as the incredibly dynamic batter that he is in the IPL. But it looks like everything is going his way at this point in time. So, I wouldn’t put it past him to have one of his best seasons in the IPL,” Uthappa added.

CHALLENGES FOR NEW CAPTAINS AXAR AND PATIDAR
This IPL season will also see first-time captains leading franchises, with Axar Patel taking charge of Delhi Capitals and Rajat Patidar captaining Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Uthappa acknowledged the challenges ahead for the two young skippers but expressed confidence in their ability to adapt.
“Axar will be in a little bit better stead because even with the new-ish side, there are still a lot of familiar faces. With Rajat also, it’s a similar situation. But Rajat will have to contend with the superstardom of Kohli within that side. So, he can lean on Kohli’s captaincy skills a lot. Rajat is in a unique position to be able to take RCB forward.
“Rajat being there at the helm right now, he will have to figure out his mode of leadership. He has done fairly well with leadership in domestic cricket.”
Another major challenge for both captains will be managing their bowlers in high-scoring venues like Bengaluru and Delhi, where shorter boundaries often negate home-ground advantages.
“The challenges would be home conditions. How do you win in home conditions? Especially both in these similar venues like Delhi and in Bangalore—small grounds, high-scoring grounds, no real home advantage.
“So, they’ll have to figure out a solution for that as leaders. For me, I think that would be one of the biggest challenges that they would face,” Uthappa said.