IPL 2023: “The team had not been together for two years…” Gavaskar lauds Dhoni for CSK’s 2018 IPL triumph

CSK won the IPL in 2018 after returning to the tournament from a two-year ban.

MS Dhoni’s achievement as a cricketer is surreal, to say the least. In particular, he has etched his name in the history books as one of India’s finest leaders.

Dhoni is the only skipper in the history of cricket to have won all three ICC trophies – 2007 World T20, 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy. The former wicketkeeper also led India to the pinnacle in Test cricket while he captained Chennai Super Kings to four IPL titles and two Champions League trophies.

While Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, he continues to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 41-year-old is once again gearing up to lead CSK in the IPL this year.

Ahead of the IPL 2023 season, starting March 31, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar has heaped praise on MS Dhoni, saying that the latter’s ability to bring the best out of his players makes him stand out.

Gavaskar cited CSK’s remarkable triumph in IPL 2018 after a two-year ban to hail Dhoni’s leadership skills.  

“I think when CSK returned and won the IPL trophy, it was absolutely amazing because the team had not been together for two years and they had moved out with different franchises and suddenly they come back again. That tells you about leadership,” Gavaskar said while speaking on Star Sports Network.

In 2015, the Justice Lodha Committee banned CSK and Rajasthan Royals from the cash-rich tournament for two years after finding their owners’ involvement in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal.

As a result, Dhoni and some of the other big stars had to move to other franchises for IPL 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Gavaskar added, “That tells you how the man could get a team together again after that gap. Sometimes you know, first year, second year there is a team spirit that happens but to get all of them together after the gap is remarkable.

“I think therefore that particular year and some of the shots that he played, I remember one game where the teams needed 20 odds runs in the final over and he just smashed it around from everywhere from outside the off stump, he was hitting it over long on for sixes!

“We were used to seeing that from Dhoni but even those little touches of his where he makes a fielder, a player feel 7 feet tall, are the touches that make him stand out from the other.”

(With PTI Inputs)