MS Dhoni suggested to reporters that there is no secret recipe to his excellent captaincy stint for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in recent years. The record-holding skipper has successfully led the CSK to twelve (12) IPL playoff spots out of a possible fourteen. In total, Dhoni has featured in 13 IPL playoffs overall (once with the Risine Pune Supergiants in his lone season for that team).
Dhoni has excellent management skills and is a 4-time winner of the IPL with CSK. He also has several breathtaking records set over the years and looks to bow out with a blast in his career. MS Dhoni has shown his excellent leadership skills of late, giving other players like Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad opportunities to shine.
Does MS Dhoni Have a Secret IPL Playoffs Recipe
Dhoni was interviewed after the CSK sealed their playoffs spot at IPL 2023 with a convincing 77-run victory over the Delhi Capitals (DC). Media reps at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi asked about Dhoni’s impressive playoffs record. He replied saying:
“There is no recipe as such [CSK’s impressive 12th playoffs place]. You try to pick the best players and try to give them the best slot. You use them in the manner where they have most chances of succeeding and groom them in the areas where they are not as strong,“
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway were at the thick of proceedings throughout the game, bringing DC players under heavy opposition for most past of the game. MS Dhoni believes the performance of such players is testament to the “team-first” mentality of CSK cricketers:
“You need someone who is always team-first. Those are the kind of characters you look for. From a distance, it is difficult to judge that. We want them [the players] to adjust to the environment. Even if they try to come to ten percent, we are willing to go to fifty percent and meet them in the middle,“
Dhoni also believes that team decisions should reflect in all players and all performances should reflect CSK’s drive to succeed in the IPL:
“If you are doing whatever is best for the team, it falls into line. The management has been great, including the support staff. They always keep telling us to not worry and to keep doing what we have been doing. But, of course, the players are also important,“
What Does Dhoni Think about the Performance of Pathirana and Deshpande against DC?
MS Dhoni is a former skipper for the Indian national cricket team. He is also an ICC World Cup winner as skipper apart from bagging multiple IPL titles and honors in his playing career.
Such a massive cabinet makes Dhoni an excellent choice to ask about players performances. In his post-match interview, Dhoni was impressed with the performances of bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande:
“Behind the scenes, a lot of work goes on, and I feel the bowlers have taken the responsibility. Pathirana is quite natural when it comes to bowling at the death, so that is one less headache. The way Tushar has come around has been remarkable,“
About Deshpande, Dhoni suggests his bowler has all the goods to perform impressively under pressure:
“When it comes to death bowling, confidence is a very important factor. If you look at Tushar, he has developed death-over bowling. How many times you can execute under pressure is the main thing. When you are confident, you execute more often than not,“
Why Is Dhoni’s Opinion about CSK Players So Important?
Most IPL interviews and commentaries about CSK are incomplete without MS Dhoni. The legendary cricketer remains one of the sport’s greatest active players.
Dhoni holds several IPL records and has an impressive performance streak as captain of CSK. Most media personalities want to hear MS Dhoni’s comments due to his glittering career with multiple personal and collective awards to show. Some of Dhoni’s current records and recognitions include:
- Most finals as captain
- Second-most runs as captain
- Most IPL titles as captain
- Most playoffs as captain
- Top 10 fair play awards placement in IPL history
- Most IPL matches as captain
- Top five ranking in MOTM in IPL history
- Most IPL matches won as captain
These records and many more not mentioned here makes many media commentators seek information about what makes Dhoni tick. With his usual dismissive comments whenever he’s asked this question, no one may ever find out how MS Dhoni does his magic
