MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings’ leader, thinks the IPL special. Why? It lets him know and connect with players from around the world. Their cultures make the IPL unique.
During his 16-year IPL career, the 42-year-old has led a record 226 games, including more than 200 for CSK. Dhoni also has the most IPL victories as captain, with 133, having led CSK to a joint-record five titles.
In a Star Sports video released before of the 2024 season, MS Dhoni explained what makes the IPL unique:
“IPL gave me an opportunity to understand a lot of foreign players. I wasn’t somebody who talked a lot to the opposition players but IPL provided an opportunity to know about other players, to know what they think about cricket, to know their culture. All of that made IPL very interesting.”
MS Dhoni
The former Indian captain further explained how understanding each player on the team contributes to the right culture and direction for success.
“The Chennai team that played in 2008 was a well-balanced team and had a lot of all rounders. The team had a vast pool of experienced players such as Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram. To get them all together in one dressing room, to get to know each other was a challenge.”
“I always believed that when you’re leading a team, it is important to make sure you understand each other. Once you know the individual, you know his strength, his weaknesses, it becomes easier as a team to move in the right direction.”
MS Dhoni
Dhoni, as captain, has unique records. Also, he’s the seventh highest scorer in IPL history. He’s got 5,082 runs! His average is 38.79 with a strike rate of 135.91.
MS Dhoni to lead CSK against Virat Kohli’s RCB in IPL 2024’s first match
CSK will begin their IPL championship defense with a highly anticipated match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 22 in Chennai. The game will also serve as the season opener for the 2024 Indian Premier League.
CSK is aiming for another consecutive championship, repeating their 2010 and 2011 wins. On the other hand, RCB is yet to clinch an IPL trophy. Despite their impactful presence in the last three playoffs from 2020 to 2022, last season was a miss for the Bangalore franchise.
A sixth victory for MS Dhoni’s Men will allow them to break the tie with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and become the most successful IPL club.
CSK and RCB last played in a season opener in Chennai in 2019, when the home team won by seven wickets in a low-scoring contest.