Every great event has a starting point. For the Indian Premier League, that moment was 2007 when an unheralded group of Indian youngsters won the inaugural T20 World Cup in South Africa.
After the failure of the senior team at the 2007 ODI World Cup in the Caribbean, the mood in India cricket was sombre. Simultaneously, 20-over cricket was gaining popularity, although India had been staunchly against embracing the fast-rising format.
At the newly created World T20 in South Africa, India sent a team filled with youngsters, under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
With zero expectations, and hardly any idea about how to tackle the format, Dhoni's India won the trophy, captured the imagination of the nation, and kicked into motion a series of events that has changed the course of cricket.
The next year, the Indian Premier League was born after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) realised the true potential of the format. A rival Indian Cricket League was quickly quashed, with the Indian board taking full control of a domestic league that ushered in the franchise format.
Dhoni was there in 2007. He was there in the first IPL in 2008. He is still standing in 2025, at the age of 43, on one good knee.
His association with Chennai Super Kings is unlike any other in cricket, made deeper and stronger by the unwavering and fanatic support of the franchise.
It has reached a point where you get full stadiums just to see Dhoni practice for Chennai ahead of an IPL season. That is about the only time you get to see the former India captain pick up a bat and glove during the year, as he was pulled back from every other competitive cricket and even public life.
Chennai and Dhoni fans only want to see their favourite 'Thala' (boss in Tamil) come out to bat, irrespective of the state of the match or the fortunes of the team.
It did not bother fans that Dhoni had injured his knee a couple of seasons back and was greatly incapacitated, on top of his advancing years. The injury has restricted his duties to wicketkeeping and batting for no more than 3-4 overs at the death.
His magic still worked. In 2023, Dhoni guided the Super Kings to the final where a four and a six off the last two balls of the tournament – hit by Ravindra Jadeja – handed Chennai their fifth IPL title.
Many thought it was the ideal time for Dhoni to end his playing days, and possibly take up a management role at Chennai. But he still played on, with the untested Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain.
It has not been the same since. Chennai failed to qualify for the play-offs last year. This year, things look even worse with three defeats in their first four games.
Since everything at Chennai seems to start and finish at Dhoni, it is the T20 veteran's actions on the field that have garnered the most attention.
Tongues started wagging when he came in at number nine against Bengaluru while chasing 197 and the team tottering at 99-7.
Dhoni could not take the team past the finish line against Rajasthan, making 16 from 11 while chasing 183. It was the same story against Delhi at home as Dhoni laboured to 30 from 26 balls while chasing 184.
The Super Kings lost all three matches. In all the games so far, Chennai's top order has been shockingly conservative, showing almost no intent of maximising the powerplay overs and leaving way too much to do in the final overs.
But the conversation somehow leads back to Dhoni. Even though there are much bigger issues such as the selection of batters like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar – not exactly T20 box office – or that of a finger spinner like Ravichandran Ashwin whose effectiveness has clearly waned.
Unfortunately, that is what happens when the entire identity of the franchise revolves around you. The franchise and IPL management might be happy to push Dhoni to play as long as is physically possible, because the fans simply can't get enough of him, and also because he is still sharp as a wicketkeeper and a tactician.
But how long will Dhoni play, with one good knee and an inability to make an impact with the bat for extended periods?
Chennai and Dhoni might still stumble upon some luck, grab a few wins and get back on track. It is a long tournament after all. However, is the pain worth it? If questions are already being asked, especially by some Chennai fans now, you already know the answer.
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More on animal trafficking
More on animal trafficking
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
more from Janine di Giovanni
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More coverage from the Future Forum
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Pathaan
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
