Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan praised Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, MS Dhoni, for the franchise's strong comeback after a poor outing in IPL 2020. In IPL 2021, Dhoni-led CSK won 5 out of 7 matches and they were on number two before the suspension of the tournament.

Speaking during a discussion on Star Sports, Pathan talked about Dhoni's captaincy and said he is one of the major reasons behind CSK's turnaround this year.

"We always talk about the captain. MS Dhoni has a huge role to play in that. There was not much contribution from his batting as his batting is not the same as we used to see in his peak," said Pathan.

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Pathan liked the way Dhoni utilized his resources for the best of his side. England all-rounder Moeen Ali was asked to bat at number 3, while Suresh Raina was pushed at number 4. 

"The inclusion of Moeen Ali made a huge difference. Suresh Raina brought a different flair, indeed his performance was not that good. But MS Dhoni had a huge responsibility on how he manages his troops and he did that very well," he added.

Last year, in UAE, CSK had finished at number 7 in the points table. It was said that the team would need to revamp to perform again and that wouldn't be possible without mega-auction. But the franchise managed to put on a dominating performance with only a few changes in this season.

(With StarSports Inputs)