Ashwin Silences MS Dhoni Reference on YouTube Amid Ongoing CSK Controversy

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner Ravichandran Ashwin interrupted a panellist mid-conversation during a recent live broadcast on his YouTube channel when the discussion turned toward MS Dhoni. The incident comes just days after Ashwin publicly declared that his platform would no longer cover CSK-related content following a controversy during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season.

In his latest video, Ashwin reviewed recent matches from IPL 2025 but noticeably avoided any mention of CSK’s games. During the discussion, a panellist brought up the importance of strong leadership, naming players like Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, and “Thala” Dhoni. As soon as Dhoni’s name was mentioned, Ashwin promptly interrupted with a “Sshhh. Ssshhhh,” signaling his discomfort with the topic.

The panellist responded, saying, “No, you shouldn’t be the one talking. I can talk. I’m an audience member.”
Ashwin replied by reiterating that he has always maintained a boundary when it comes to speaking about teams he’s part of: “I’ve never spoken about my team in RR [Rajasthan Royals] as well,” he said, clarifying that the restraint isn’t exclusive to CSK.

Background: The CSK–Ashwin YouTube Row

The controversy began when discussions on Ashwin’s YouTube channel analyzed CSK’s match strategies during IPL 2025. Former South Africa and RCB analyst Prasanna Agoram, a guest on the panel, questioned CSK’s decision to play Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad despite having senior Indian spinners like Ravindra Jadeja and Ashwin in the squad.

When asked about this discourse, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming distanced himself from it, stating, “I have no idea. I didn’t even know he had a channel… that’s irrelevant.”

Following this, Ashwin issued a statement announcing that his channel would refrain from covering CSK matches for the rest of the season.
“Given the nature of the discussions on this forum over the last week, we want to be mindful of how things can be interpreted and have chosen to step away from covering CSK games, both previews and reviews, for the rest of this season,” read a note posted on the channel.

The statement also clarified that the views shared by panellists do not reflect Ashwin’s personal opinions.

Ashwin Dropped Amidst Fallout

Amid the tension, Ashwin was recently left out of CSK’s playing XI for the match against the Lucknow Super Giants—a game MS Dhoni and team won by five wickets. While it’s unclear if the omission is directly related to the controversy, the timing has added fuel to ongoing speculation.