The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper, MS Dhoni had announced retirement from international cricket last month but he’ll be at the heart of the action in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. He led the CSK to win the trophy three times and now he will be leading the Chennai-based franchise in the tournament opener on Saturday against the Mumbai Indians (MI), the defending champions. The game comes more than a year after the 39-year-old last played his last competitive match for India against New Zealand in the 2019 World Cup semi-final.
Talking about Dhoni during a chat with AFP, Sab Karim said, “He is very fit and I believe he is working very hard on it. Plus he has stopped playing international cricket so there will be less burden on his body. Dhoni played an instrumental role in kick-starting the IPL because of the way he brought a different dimension to the shorter format of the game because of his aggressive side with the willow.”
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Dhoni, who has been considered as the world’s best finisher, has played 190 IPL matches in which he has amassed 4,432 runs with the help of 23 half-centuries. Chennai chief executive Kasi Viswanathan reckons that Dhoni has been playing a crucial role in the team’s plans and they expect him to keep playing till the 2022 edition.
The team has been criticized after arriving in the UAE last month with two cricketers testing positive for the coronavirus. Senior batsman Suresh Raina and veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh later opted out of the competition.
Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra said Dhoni is “the biggest strength of the Chennai-based franchise and the entire franchise is dependent on him”. On his Youtube channel, Chopra said, “He is the soul of Chennai Super Kings. As long as he is there, CSK’s heart keeps beating and they move forward. MS Dhoni, the player, and the captain has a great impact.”
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Chennai and Dhoni faced a huge controversy in 2015 when the team was banned from the IPL for two years for match-fixing. Labeled ‘Dad’s Army’ in the Indian media, Chennai made a strong comeback in 2018 when they lifted the trophy and establish themselves as one of the most consistent teams in IPL history.
