Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always been looked at as an asset by the Chennai Super Kings. But one wonders if the 43-year-old is fast becoming a non-performing asset.

That might sound harsh, given Dhoni’s legacy in the IPL in CSK colours. For years, he led the team with unparalleled mastery, winning them multiple trophies, earning the franchise the badge of being the ‘OGs’ of the IPL along with the Mumbai Indians.

But when CSK coach Stephen Fleming reveals that Dhoni doesn’t come out to bat higher up in the batting order because “he can’t bat 10 overs running full stick”, one can’t help but think if it’s time for the former captain to step out of the playing arena and maybe essay a non-playing role at the Chennai franchise.

Dhoni’s batting position for CSK has been a much-debated topic in the last few years of the IPL. Critics believe he pushes himself down too much even when the team could have benefitted more from his big-hitting prowess.

Take the case of him coming out to bat at No. 9 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru a few days back. With his team chasing a 197-run target, Dhoni sent — yes, he still takes the call of when he is going to bat — Sam Curran, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of him. When he finally came out to bat, he smashed 30 not out off 16 balls, but by then it was too late and CSK lost by 50 runs.

On Sunday, against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati, he batted at No. 7 with the team needing 54 off 25 balls. He failed to take his team to the target, managing just 16 runs off 11 balls, as CSK lost by six runs.

According to Fleming, Dhoni decides when to bat depending on the match situation.

“It’s a time thing. MS judges it. His body, his knees aren’t what they used to be. He’s moving okay, but there’s still a nutrition aspect to it. He can’t bat 10 overs running full stick. So he will gauge on the day what he can give us,” Fleming said after the match.

“If the game’s in the balance like today (Sunday), he will go a little bit earlier... and he backs other players when other opportunities are up. So he’s balancing that.”

One may wonder then why he is still in the team? Fleming had the answer for that. “I said it last year, he’s too valuable to us, (with his) leadership and wicket keeping, to throw him in at 9-10 overs. He’s actually never done that. So look, from around 13-14 overs he’s looking to go, depending on who’s in.”

Like it or not, questions will arise about Dhoni’s relevance in the current team. There’s no denying his leadership and wicketkeeping skills, but the moment it comes to Dhoni the batter, one feels that it is increasingly seeming like a baggage that CSK is carrying. The man can still hit the cleanest of sixes, there’s no doubt about that. But how many of those sixes are contributing to CSK’s wins?

If one goes into the commerce of cricket, Brand Dhoni is still the best thing about CSK, or maybe even for the IPL as a whole. Be it in Chennai or Guwahati, fans still cheer every CSK wicket in anticipation of their “Thala” majestically walking onto the ground, wielding the bat like a magic wand that still sways the crowd like it did a decade back.

It’s cinematic. Not for nothing do they say that the IPL is more than cricket.