Former Kolkata Knight Riders captain and a two-time Premier League champion Gautam Gambhir showered praises on his former Indian skipper MS Dhoni. CSK defeated KKR in the final to win their 4th IPL crown, second only to MI, who remain 5th.
After pointing out the fact that MS Dhoni did not contribute significantly with the bat this edition, Gambhir said he did not have to do much, as his tactical knowledge was enough to drive the side forward. He also complimented how Chennai did not chop and change a lot throughout the tournament, but made changes exactly when it mattered.
Gambhir also pointed out that CSK and Dhoni didn’t persist with Raina at the business end of the tournament despite his good record in the past. Instead, they backed someone like Robin Uthappa who has been in good form of late and he made the difference for them as well. According to Gambhir, these are the decisions that make Dhoni different from other captains.
“He hardly contributed with the bat but he didn’t need to. Because there were so many other guys scoring a decent rate, so those guys did the job for him,”
Gambhir said.
He added that MS Dhoni likes keeping things, which is what helps the 40-year-old to create a secure environment in the dressing room. He also noted that the 2011 World Cup-winning skipper has plenty of quality options up his sleeve, with most players capable of doing two good things on the field.
Despite struggling to remain relevant in the 2020 edition, where they finished seventh, Dhoni and his contingent fought back inspirationally in 2021.
After putting up 192 runs with the bat, Chennai’s score defence was threatened by the KKR openers in the final, but the yellow army pulled through conveniently towards the end.
Their openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis finished as the top two run-scorers of the tournament, with the former taking home the Orange Cap. The Super Kings previously won the tournament thrice in 2010, 2011, and 2018.
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