The 2022 Indian Premier League kicks off on March 26 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, with Chennai Super Kings taking against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Only two days before the season began, the CSK made a shocking revelation that left the franchise's fans heartbroken, as Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the side's captain since the tournament's inception in 2008, stepped down as leadership duties, and Ravindra Jadeja was named the new skipper.
CSK won four IPL titles under Dhoni's leadership, including the most recent season, when the team defeated KKR by 27 runs in the final of IPL 2021. While Dhoni will continue to wear the wicketkeeper's gloves, the baton has now been passed to Jadeja.
Dhoni has been praised for his outstanding captaincy at CSK throughout the years, and one of his many good moves was to trust Deepak Chahar with the new ball early in the innings.
Dhoni frequently chose to bowl Chahar's whole quota of four overs upfront. Chahar was a consistent performer for the Super Kings, taking key wickets in the first few overs of the game.
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As he previewed the first match of IPL 2022 on Cricbuzz, former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag, who has played under Dhoni for India, spoke on Dhoni's use of Chahar over the years.
“This is what makes MS Dhoni special. In any other franchise, if he had taken two wickets in his first two overs, the captain would think, 'I should save him for the final overs'. But in the end, it doesn't matter if you're a Bumrah, a Chahar, a Rabada or a Nortje, you will get hit,” Sehwag said.
“So, that is where Dhoni utilized Chahar really well. Sometimes, he had also completed his full quota of four overs up-front. So the credit goes to MS Dhoni as well,” he added.
According to Sehwag, Dhoni has always chosen bowlers who were more precise, regardless of their speed.
“Since Dhoni was named the captain of India, he was very clear; he didn't want bowlers bowling at 150 kph and conceding runs. He would rather prefer bowlers who bowl slow but are more accurate; those who could create more chances. This has been MS Dhoni's mindset since 2007,” said the former India opener.
