MS Dhoni has captained Chennai Super Kings to five IPL titles so far.
Dhoni has also captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to five IPL titles and two Champions League trophies.
While Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020, he continues to feature in the Indian Premier League for CSK.
The 42-year-old is once again gearing up to lead CSK in the IPL this year. He started his preparations at the MA Chidambaram Stadium a few days ago, and several videos of his training are doing rounds on social media.
With almost a week remaining for the IPL 2024 season, former India cricketers RP Singh, Suresh Raina and Parthiv Patel hailed Dhoni’s leadership skills and explained his fandom.
“Last year, the fan-following he witnessed was beyond my understanding. Maybe, that’s because it’s been built over the years. MS has performed incredibly for CSK since the beginning and has led them to multiple trophies. Last year, people thought that it might be his last year as an active player, and it might be their final chance to see him play live. That may have caused a 25 to 30% increase in his fan-following. The moment he wore his pads last year, our viewership increased,” RP Singh said while speaking on JioCinema.
Adding to it, Raina stated: “Absolutely, I saw Sachin Tendulkar receive this kind of love when we first came into the Indian team. That love was showered on Mahi bhai by Indian fans thereafter. ‘MSD, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’ the name alone is embedded in people’s hearts.”
Recalling Dhoni’s craze from the IPL 2023 season, Parthiv said: “There have been three instances of fans showing this kind of love for players. In 2011 when we won the ODI World Cup. Then, when Sachin Tendulkar retired in 2013, the entire ground waited to hear his farewell speech. And last year whenever MS Dhoni played in Chennai, not a single fan would leave until his interview was over.”
RP Singh also narrated an incident from 2006-2007 regarding Dhoni’s interest in appreciation from fans.
He said, “I remember this team meeting a long time ago in 2006-2007 when we spoke about what drives players to perform. At that time, MS said, ‘When I get off a bus, I feel like two people are looking at me. When will those two turn to four and when will the four turn to 40? My passion for the game is because I want to play for the fans. I want the fans to see that MS Dhoni hits shots like this.’”
Parthiv Patel cited BCCI’s decision to retire jersey No. 7 and highlighted that Dhoni isn’t just a cricketer but an emotion.
“Look at the two jerseys retired by the BCCI. One is the No. 7 and the other is the No. 10. It shows that Dhoni isn’t just a player, he’s an emotion. The way he connects with people, whenever he meets people anywhere, he’ll talk to them as respectfully as possible. Only after doing all of this, you can create the aura that makes everybody love you,” Parthiv remarked.
Chennai Super Kings will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL 2024 opener at Chepauk on March 22.