On May 15, Solanki made his debut at Wankhede Stadium against the Gujarat Titans.
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were the second team eliminated from the race for playoffs in IPL 2022, but for some of the young players of the franchise, it was a dream come true moment, who got to play under the legendary MS Dhoni.
After CSK lost 6 out of their 9 matches under Ravindra Jadeja's captaincy, Dhoni was handed the leadership once again and under him, players like Shivam Dube, Prashant Solanki, Mukesh Choudhary, and Maheesh Theekshana rose to prominence.
Solanki, who was making his IPL debut, told a story of how Dhoni's coaching from behind the stumps helped him tremendously.
On May 15, Solanki made his debut at Wankhede Stadium against the Gujarat Titans and went wicketless. Solanki, on the other hand, bagged 2/20 in his second and final encounter of the season and explained how Dhoni's recommendations helped him beat the Rajasthan Royals.
"Mahi bhai keeps things very simple. Whether you're bowling leg-spin, googly or top-spin, if you're not giving runs, you are bowling well. He had given us instructions that we have to bowl dot balls because that's what creates pressure in T20 cricket," Solanki told SportsKeeda.
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"In the second game, I came in to bowl a bit late because we didn't have a big total and he was shuffling the bowlers around. I was hit for a six off my first ball. Then he (Dhoni) gave me an indication that I have to pull my length back and keep it a little shorter. Let him play strokes on the bigger end. Then I was successful."
"He (Hetmyer) hit me for a boundary and then Mahi bhai indicated to me once again to use the bigger side of the ground. I bowled the top spinner on his legs and he miscued it and was out on deep mid-wicket."
Solanki, who was selected by CSK for 1.2 crores at the IPL mega-auction, was given a longer rope in his rookie season, but given his potential, Dhoni is expected to put more faith in him next year.