"Bahut jaan hai uss aadmi mein" - Swastik Chikara's massive claim on MS Dhoni's future post IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) youngster Swastik Chikara has shared his experience of meeting veteran batter MS Dhoni. Chikara was part of the RCB squad that won the IPL 2025 title under the leadership of Rajat Patidar.

The 20-year-old recently appeared on a YouTube podcast with CricXtasy, released on Sunday, September 7, where he recounted his first meeting with Dhoni, saying:

“It was a completely different feeling, Thala for a reason. The reason is him, bro. I mean, he’s really a good person, I swear. Dhoni bhai is just Dhoni bhai. Yash bhaiya was also there, and he was saying, ‘You’re talking as if you’ve known him for 10 years.’”

The Uttar Pradesh batter also said he believes MS Dhoni will play in the 2026 edition, noting that the 44-year-old still looks strong, full of energy, and is unlikely to retire anytime soon.

“He’ll play, he'll play, bro (IPL 2026). That man has so much energy. He’s very strong (Bahut jaan hai uss aadmi mein). He will play for sure. I don’t think he will retire anytime soon, in my opinion. We were laughing, joking, taking photos, and having fun. The conversation was casual. He asked where I’m from, and I said I live in a village. The chat was nice and relaxed. He said, ‘Good, you’re a desi guy,’ (Desi londa hai tu),” he added.

In the 2025 edition, Dhoni scored 196 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.50 with a strike rate of 135.17. Meanwhile, CSK endured a disappointing campaign, finishing at the bottom of the table.

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“Atmosphere is just unique” - Swastik Chikara on RCB’s matches against MI and CSK

In the same conversation, Swastik Chikara also pointed out that RCB’s matches against Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings are completely different, saying:

“It’s completely different, on the next level, I’m telling you. The atmosphere is just unique, both within the team and from the opposing team, and also with the fans. In Mumbai, at first, they were chanting “Mumbai, Mumbai,” and then suddenly it became “RCB, RCB,” and then back to “Mumbai, Mumbai.” It was such a different kind of fun.”

Swastik Chikara also added that RCB has the best fan base, noting that during IPL 2025 games in Chennai and Mumbai, the DJs would make other announcements to distract fans whenever they cheered for the Bengaluru team. He added:

“It happened in the Chennai match. Our match was in Chennai, and the RCB fans were chanting “RCB, RCB.” After that, the DJ started making some announcements. The same thing happened in Mumbai, with fans cheering for Virat, and then the DJ started playing. Basically, RCB has a completely different fan base. It’s strong, and I can’t even compare it to others.”

Meanwhile, Swastik Chikara will be hoping to make his RCB debut, provided he is retained for the 2026 season.