"This is absolute rubbish!" - CSK physio Tommy Simsek dismisses reports of MS Dhoni punching screen after IPL 2024 loss against RCB

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) physio Tommy Simsek dismissed reports claiming MS Dhoni punching a screen in frustration after the defeat to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their final match of the 2024 IPL season. Dhoni's former India and CSK teammate Harbhajan Singh recently stated in in a conversation with Sports Yaari that he was on his commentary stint and saw Dhoni walk off the part and punch a screen outiside the dressing room.

With a playoff berth on the line, CSK required 201 to qualify in their 20 overs and Dhoni was in the thick of things entering the final over. CSK needed 17 off the final over and Dhoni smashed the first ball of the 20th over for a massive six. However, he was dismissed the following delivery from left-arm pacer Yash Dayal as they eventually fell short by nine runs.

A disappointed Dhoni lined up with the other CSK players for the customary handshake but the RCB players were still celebrating, forcing the former CSK skipper to walk off without shaking hands.

"RCB was celebrating and they deserved to celebrate because of the way they won. I was watching the whole scene from above because I was present there. RCB was celebrating and CSK had lined up to shake hands, RCB were a little late to reach CSK. By the time Team RCB finished their celebration, (Dhoni) went inside and he punched a screen outside the dressing room," he said.

With Harbhajan Singh's remarks gaining much attraction, Tommy Simsek took to Instagram and replied to one such post.

"This is absolute Rubbish! MSD did not break anything and I have never seen him aggressive after any match. Fake news!," he said.

The RCB defeat meant CSK could not defend their title from 2023 and remain on five IPL titles, tied with the Mumbai Indians (MI).

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MS Dhoni's return to the IPL for 2025 season remains uncertain

With the deadline of October 31 for the teams to sumbit their retentions before the IPL 2025 auction, all eyes are on fixated on whether MS Dhoni will be retained by CSK as an uncapped player.

While the recently announced rules allows a player who hasn't played international cricket for over five years to be retained as an uncapped player for only ₹4 crores, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan recently mentioned that there haven't been any discussions with Dhoni.

He said as quoted by Free Press Journal:

"We are not sure at this stage. We might not even use it (Uncapped Player) for MS Dhoni. It’s still too early to comment on this because we haven’t had discussions with him. Dhoni was in the US and we haven’t had discussions yet. Now I am travelling this week, so there is a possibility of some discussions in the coming week. So there could be some clarity then. We are hopeful of him playing but it’s a call Dhoni will himself make."

Despite CSK's early exit before the playoffs, Dhoni was in excellent form with the bat last season, scoring 161 runs at an average of 53.66 and a strike rate of over 220.