MS Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), reflected on his experience playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He discussed his tournament experience thus far and explained his fear of Matthew Hayden.

In the 200 games of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni became the first player to ever skipper a side. In the current match between CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR), he accomplished the feat. It is admirable how the keeper-batter led the group.

With four titles for CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021, MS Dhoni is one of the best captains in the league. In addition to this, he has led his side to a record nine IPL finals and playoff appearances for every season played with the exception of 2020 and 2022, when they finished eighth and ninth, respectively.

IPL 2023 | India National Cricket Team | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Delhi Capitals (DC) | Gujarat Titans (GT) | Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) | Mumbai Indians (MI) | Punjab Kings (PBKS) | Rajasthan Royals (RR) | Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) | SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Dhoni has captained the squad for 199 games and has guided them to 120 victories with a win percentage of 60.30. A skipper, he has also endured 78 defeats. He discussed his experience and how he had the desire to understand how the franchise functions when he reached 200 games played as the captain of CSK. He stated:

“There is always an interest in learning how a franchise runs. It is an entirely new setting. You were also going to share a changing room for the first time with an international player. And you were unaware of their condition.”

CSK vs RR: MS Dhoni Recalls Why He Was Scared Of Matthew Hayden

After receiving praise from the group for playing 200 games as CSK’s captain, MS Dhoni went on to explain why he was terrified of Matthew Hayden, a player the team had acquired in the first game. He admitted that he believed the batter would immediately start abusing the players. Added him:

“Let’s take Matthew Hayden as an example. We always anticipated that he would arrive and begin abusing people everywhere. But it was extremely intriguing that Matthew Hayden took the initiative in the squad meeting while talking strategy prior to our first game against Kings XI Punjab. He announced that he would fight Brett Lee as his first statement.

I questioned what he meant because I didn’t fully understand him at the moment. I’ll meet Brett Lee halfway down the track, like Hayden instructed me to do. The first or second ball of the game the following day, he repeated the exact same thing. That was the strategy he used. As a result, it was fascinating.

CSK and Rajasthan Royals are currently competing in an IPL 2023 match. They have so far played three games and won two of them.

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah