Chennai Super Kings’ struggles in IPL 2025 have led to renewed debates around team composition and the future of MS Dhoni. Speaking after CSK's loss to Rajasthan Royals, former India cricketers Aakash Chopra and Sanjay Bangar shared strong views on the franchise’s next steps, with Chopra suggesting a major clearout and Bangar advising Dhoni to consider stepping away. “I’ve got a long list actually,” Aakash Chopra said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show when asked which players CSK should release ahead of the next auction. “I would release [R] Ashwin, [Ravindra] Jadeja, Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda, Rahul Tripathi…” Notably, Chopra’s release list did not include MS Dhoni, who has continued playing this season at age 43 despite ongoing questions around his role in the side. However, Sanjay Bangar offered a more direct take on Dhoni’s situation, suggesting the veteran wicketkeeper-batter should consider retiring for the sake of the team’s long-term development. Also READ: “Don’t take pressure”: MS Dhoni shares advice for youngsters after CSK’s loss to RR “You move on”: Bangar says transition must start without Dhoni “It all boils down to MS,” Bangar said in response to Chopra’s comments. “But if I was MS, I would say 'enough'. Okay, I have played whatever I wanted to play, I have looked after the interest of the franchise... but, you know, you move on.” He explained that continuing just to oversee the transition may not be practical. “By you being there, if you're thinking that the transition will happen fast, there's never an ideal time to pick. So you might as well [make] peace with the fact that, 'even if I leave now, the franchise will develop on its own; it will take a year longer, but I'm not going to be here for the entire cycle’.” Bangar, who has worked closely with young players and served as a coach at both the franchise and national level, acknowledged the physical toll of playing at 43, even for someone as fit as Dhoni. “When you're 43, why this competitive environment, even if you go and play some local cricket, you will find how tough it is on the body as well.” CSK currently sit near the bottom of the IPL 2025 table and are officially out of the playoff race, prompting serious conversations around what the squad could look like next season, with or without Dhoni in IPL 2026.