With the Indian Premier League 2023 set to kick off on March 31, an old video of MS Dhoni delivering an emotional speech to the Chennai Super Kings team before their return in the 2018 season has caught the attention of former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.
During the post-match discussion of the India vs Australia third ODI, Dhoni was seen holding back tears while addressing the team. Suresh Raina was also shown offering water to the visibly emotional skipper. Gavaskar was then asked about Dhoni’s contribution to making CSK the second most successful franchise in the history of IPL. He praised the ‘Captain Cool’ for bringing the team together after their two-year suspension and leading them to their third IPL title win in 2018.
MS DID A REMARKABLE JOB FOR CSK IN 2018: GAVASKAR
“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 came back again. That tells you about leadership,”
Gavaskar said.
“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,”
Gavaskar further added.
In 2015, the Justice Lodha Committee banned Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for two years due to the involvement of their owners in the IPL 2013 spot-fixing scandal. This led to the players of both teams being transferred to other teams for the next two seasons.
During the ban, Dhoni played for Rising Pune Supergiant and Raina led Gujarat Lions. However, when CSK returned in 2018, Dhoni made a remarkable comeback, leading the team to its third IPL title.
In the same season, Dhoni had one of the most successful seasons of his IPL career. He scored 455 runs at an average of 75.83 with a strike rate of 150.66, including three half-centuries.
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