When England Test captain Ben Stokes has roped in for INR 16.25 crore at December’s mini-auction for IPL 2023 season by Chennai Super Kings (CSK), it sparked a discussion about whether it was a move from MS Dhoni to pick his successor. IN 2022, Ravindra Jadeja failed as the captain of CSK, but the franchise had now picked an experienced candidate who could possibly replace Dhoni. And although there has been no clear indication or statement from the franchise yet, Moeen Ali came up with a smashing response.
England’s Test team has been witnessing a stunning performance under the captaincy of Ben Stokes, as they have won 10 of their 12 matches in the last 12 months or so. Moeen believes that that impressive record does make Stokes a strong candidate to replace MS Dhoni, but hinted that the move might not come yet.
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Ahead of CSK’s game against Mumbai Indians, Moeen Ali said, “He’s really enjoying himself. CSK is the type of franchise where you come here and you do tend to enjoy yourself and really love playing for this franchise. He’s settled in really well. He’s a big part of the team with his experience.”
When further asked whether the England Test captain is part of CSK’s leadership group, Moeen Ali added: “There’s no real such leadership group: you have the captain and the coaches, and they talk. If Dhoni wants Ben Stokes’ advice, or a chat with him, it’s a very open environment in that changing room.”
The England star however hinted that despite the presence of Stokes, or other options in Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni will continue as the CSK captain.
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Moeen Ali explained, “I think there’s a chance [that Stokes succeeds Dhoni]; of course there’s a chance, because he’s obviously done really well in Test cricket. But MS is still obviously in charge and he’s going to be captain for a while. We have some other guys as well: Ruturaj is a fantastic player with a good head on his shoulders, so it depends on what the franchise wants.”
Ben Stokes so far has had an underwhelming start to his CSK campaign, scoring just 15 runs in a couple of innings, while also bowling an over amid his knee injury concern.
