Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder and current bowling coach Dwayne Bravo commended MS Dhoni’s leadership and health, as well as his new hairdo, ahead of the 2024 IPL season.
Dwayne Bravo played under MS Dhoni for CSK from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2018 to 2022, helping the team win three of its five titles in 2011, 2018, and 2021. CSK also won for the sixth time last season, with Dhoni at the helm and Bravo as bowling coach, defeating the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a dramatic last-ball finish in the final.
Dwayne Bravo informed reporters about MS Dhoni at the inaugural event of Avira Diamonds’ store in Chennai (via The New Indian Express):
“His leadership speaks for himself, and you know we enjoy every moment playing under his leadership. He is always looking fit, I like his new hairstyle, it’s cool.”
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo believes CSK has a solid chance of winning their sixth title, although they remain modest in naming themselves the favorites.
“Our chances are very good. But at the same time, we can’t go into the tournament thinking we are favorites, and that we are going to win. We’ve to prepare well as a team, which we always do. We also have really good players. Captain Cool (MS Dhoni) is there, so we have a very good chance of defending our trophy, but it is not going to be easy.”
Dwayne Bravo
Back in the IPL after missing 2 years until 2018, CSK claimed 3 titles over 6 recent seasons. Notably, they triumphed in 2 out of the past 3 tournaments in 2021 and 2023.
“We have a lot of depth” – Dwayne Bravo on CSK’s bowling attack
The bowling unit for CSK was lauded by Dwayne Bravo, thanks to added firepower from Shardul Thakur and Mustafizur Rahman. He also highlighted the return of Mukesh Choudhary, underlining their impressive depth on that front.
Last season, three CSK bowlers — Tushar Deshpande, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana — were among the top ten wicket takers.
“We have our baby Lasith Malinga in Pathirana. Mukesh is back and so is Deepak (Chahar). Also, it’s good to have Shardul back in the team. And Fizz (Mustafizur) is also there. So, this squad is very good. We have a lot of depth. These guys add to what we had last year, and we have a better attack now.”
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo also discussed his job as a death bowling specialist, emphasizing its significance.
“In the auction, I didn’t have any input. But now my job starts, and I take part in the specific death bowling role because that’s my speciality. In T20s, thats a very important segment of the game and it requires a lot of skill, bravery and planning. So, you have to implement it in practice and get these guys to believe in a philosophy and work towards it.”
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo was one of the greatest death bowlers in the IPL and is still the league’s second-highest wicket-taker with 183 scalps (Yuzvendra Chahal leads with 187 wickets).
Meanwhile, CSK will begin the IPL 2024 season with a highly anticipated home game against RCB on March 22.