Dhoni and Rohit have led CSK and MI to five IPL titles each.
MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are widely regarded as two of the greatest captains in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history.
During their reign, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians (MI) won five IPL titles each. However, Rohit's men had an upper hand when it came to the head-to-head battle.
Despite Dhoni’s shrewd leadership skills, the Rohit-led side managed to beat CSK in three IPL finals.
In an interaction with Sports Yaari, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, who represented both franchises, explained how knowing Dhoni’s ‘tricks’ helped MI get the better of CSK over the years.
"The tricks Dhoni used to come up with, we worked to find a solution. In pressure situations, MI did better than CSK. When I left MI to join CSK, I got a lot of love. Bowled well and won a championship, got a runners-up medal as well," Harbhajan said.
"In that match (IPL 2018), Dwayne Bravo's magical batting and Kedar Jadhav's show earned CSK the title. Else, MI would've won again. To overcome Dhoni, you have to think better, play your cards better. It isn't easy. MI have done it as they had better players and the planning was also good," he added, recalling the IPL 2018 opener between the two sides.
When asked to compare Dhoni and Rohit as captains, Harbhajan remarked that the former MI captain was not behind the CSK legend by any means.
"Why do you compare the two? Dhoni led the team and took it forward, Rohit is also doing the same. Every cup you win, you put hope in others. That is important. The better captain is the one who inspires you to win. If we talk about achievements, Rohit is not lesser than Dhoni. Dada, Kohli, Dhoni, Rohit, everyone has contributed in their own way to take the team forward. Now, the fight is within to take the team even a step further," he stated.
Notably, both MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma didn’t play the captaincy roles for their respective teams in the IPL 2024 season.
While Dhoni stepped down as CSK captain and handed over the leadership baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rohit was replaced with Hardik Pandya as skipper by the MI management.