Despite managing a calf injury for a major part of the season, MS Dhoni continues to remain one of the most influential figures inside the Chennai Super Kings camp. While he may no longer officially lead the side, Dhoni’s experience and leadership still play a huge role in shaping the team environment, especially as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad settles into his captaincy journey.

Ahead of Sunday’s practice session, Dhoni opened up about the conversations he has had with Gaikwad regarding leadership and decision-making. The former India captain revealed that his biggest piece of advice to the young skipper was to lead CSK in his own style rather than follow someone else’s blueprint.

“What I told Rutu was to run CSK the way he wanted to run it. That’s how I have run CSK for a very long time. And I always felt it’s a game where the captain has to make the decisions. Yes, there are coaches and support staff, but it’s not like football where the manager decides. In cricket, it’s about the captain and he has to decide,” MS Dhoni said.

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Dhoni further explained that while Gaikwad may naturally pick up certain aspects of his leadership, every captain must eventually develop a distinct identity. He believes leadership styles differ from person to person, and individuality is extremely important in a pressure-driven tournament like the IPL.

“Yes, there will be certain things that he will pick from the way I used to lead. But individuals are different. Whatever you feel is your style, you have the full liberty over here to decide,” MS Dhoni added. The CSK icon also made it clear that advice should never be treated as an instruction. According to Dhoni, the captain should always feel free to make independent decisions, even if it means ignoring suggestions from senior players.

Dhoni on Rutu’s leadership 🗣️ –

“What I told Rutu was to run CSK the way he wanted to run it. That’s how I have run CSK for a very long time. And I always felt it’s a game where the captain has to make the decisions. Yes, there are coaches and support stuff, but it’s not like… pic.twitter.com/GsG8pITClY

— Pratyush Halder (@pratyush_no7) May 18, 2026

“I’m very open, I’ll come and talk to you, but you don’t have to do even one thing that I speak to you about. Let’s say I come up with ten pieces of advice, if you don’t follow even one, that is fair enough. When you are the leader, you have to take that responsibility,” he said.

Reflecting on CSK’s long-standing philosophy, Dhoni stressed that the franchise has always prioritised cricket above everything else.“We are someone who believes in concentrating more on cricket. Yes, we have had to do a lot of other things that are surrounding cricket, but as a franchise, we know that our essence is cricket and we should stick to that,” MS Dhoni said.

Dhoni also spoke about his massive fan following, insisting that authenticity has always been the biggest reason behind his connection with supporters.

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“In my case, I never wanted to woo fans or have more followers. I just wanted to be authentic. Once you are authentic, people start loving you and they start picking up stuff that they love about you,” he said. He concluded by praising CSK supporters for the energy they bring to the team during difficult situations. “The support of the fans matters. When the chips are down, you can get that extra 10-15% from the crowd,” MS Dhoni added.