"He's as fit as any player" - CSK star's massive claim on MS Dhoni amid future uncertainty after IPL 2025

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Dewald Brevis recently opened up on his experience of playing alongside MS Dhoni in the ongoing IPL 2025. He opined that the 43-year-old is at par with any other cricketer in terms of fitness.

While Dhoni's IPL future hangs in balance following CSK's league-stage exit, Brevis suggested that there were no fitness concerns with the veteran wicketkeeper.

The South African youngster also spoke about how Dhoni was always approachable to everyone in the CSK camp. His remarks came in a video posted by talkSPORT Cricket.

Hailing Dhoni as a real living legend, Brevis said (from 1:38):

"He's incredible. He's as fit as any player out there. He's incredible off the field. He always has time for you; you're always welcome to go him, have a chat to him, speak about cricket, life, anything. He's a real living legend and his knowledge for the game is incredible. He's got a visual and he just sees things happening even before it's happened. It's great to learn from him and to play on the side of him."

Brevis was initially unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction. His IPL career got a new lease of life after being roped in by CSK as a mid-season replacement for the injured Gurjapneet Singh.

The swashbuckling batter delivered impactful performances for his side, amassing 225 runs across six innings at a strike rate of 180. Here's what he said about his stint with CSK in the same video (from 1:11):

"I'm extremely grateful. God blessed me to perform there, and I'm grateful for that. Yeah, it's been fantastic. It's been lots of fun. That was always the main goal. I met great new people and we made memories. The team is looking great, we ended on a high."

The Chennai-based side endured a dismal campaign, finishing with the wooden spoon for the very first time. MS Dhoni and Co. ended up at the bottom of the points table, winning just four out of their 14 league matches.

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"There's no hurry to decide" - MS Dhoni shares his retirement plan after CSK bow out of IPL 2025 with 83-run win over GT

CSK ended their campaign with a consolation 83-run victory over Gujarat Titans (GT). Speaking in the post-match interview, MS Dhoni revealed that he was yet to take a call on his IPL retirement.

While he hinted that he was still not done, he emphasized that he wasn't committing a return to the league next year. Indicating that he still has plenty of time to decide if he wants to play in the IPL 2026 or not, MS Dhoni said:

"It depends - I would say the same thing, I have four-five months to decide. There's no hurry to decide. It's 15 per cent more effort to keep the body away from pain. This is top level cricket, you have to be at your best. It's not always performance that you can count. If cricketers start retiring because of performance then a few of them would retire at 22.

"What's important is to see if you can contribute and if the team needs you. I have enough time, going back to Ranchi. Haven't been home in a long time, want to enjoy some bike rides. I'm not saying I'm done, I'm not saying I'm coming back at the same time. I have the luxury of timing and when you have the luxury, why not."

MS Dhoni scored 196 runs across 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17 in IPL 2025. He was named the interim skipper after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an elbow injury after five games.