“Take MS Dhoni away and they will struggle to make the qualifiers” - Wasim Jaffer feels CSK wouldn’t have succeeded in IPL minus ‘captain cool’

Former India batter Wasim Jaffer reckons that Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) success in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is mainly due to MS Dhoni’s towering presence as captain. According to Jaffer, CSK wouldn’t be anywhere near as good without the shrewd guidance of Dhoni as a leader.

Dhoni, who is celebrating his 42nd birthday on Friday, July 7, has led the Chennai franchise to five title wins in the IPL - the joint-most in the history of the T20 league along with Mumbai Indians (MI).

CSK’s latest IPL triumph came earlier this year when they defeated Gujarat Titans (GT) by five wickets in a nail-biting final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

In an interaction with Sportskeeda, Jaffer analyzed MSD’s humungous impact as the leader of Chennai Super Kings.

He opined:

“CSK’s success is attached to Dhoni. If you leave MS Dhoni out of that team, I don’t think CSK will remain the same CSK without doubt. Taking such a team and leading them to an IPL trophy win, only Dhoni can do it.”

Sharing his views specifically about the IPL 2023 win, Jaffer pointed out that CSK were thin in the bowling resources, yet Dhoni managed to get match-winning performances out of them.

He elaborated:

“They had very limited resources this year, especially if you look at their bowling. There is Tushar Deshpande, he’s played IPL, but had no success [before]. Matheesha Pathirana was new, while Akash Singh played the initial games. Deepak Chahar got injured for half of the tournament. Maheesh Theekshana is also not the greatest name in the IPL. Moeen Ali did not bowl and [Ravindra] Jadeja again…”

The 45-year-old former India opener added:

“To win the IPL with such a bowling attack, only MS Dhoni can do it. Only he knows how to best utilize the resources available. CSK’s success is because of him. Take MS Dhoni away and they will struggle to make the qualifiers.”

Before 2023, Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings to victory in the IPL in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021. Under him, the franchise also lifted the now-defunct Champions League Twenty20 crown twice - in 2010 and 2014.

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MS Dhoni’s IPL numbers

Dhoni has featured in exactly 250 IPL matches, scoring 5082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.92, with 24 fifties.

He is also the most successful captain in the history of the T20 league, with 133 wins to his name from 226 matches. Apart from CSK, Dhoni briefly led Rising Pune Supergiant as well.