Chennai Super Kings are the defending champions of IPL, having beaten Gujarat Titans in the final last year.
Chennai Super Kings have been the most successful team in the history of IPL, along with Mumbai Indians. The five-time IPL champions have been impressive and in control almost every time they are playing a match. The credit of their success goes to an obvious man who has led the team from the front with so much passion over the years, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Captain Cool has been at the forefront of CSK’s success. His calm head, along with his excellent game-awareness, makes him such a potent leader. Under MSD, CSK have reached 10 IPL finals and reached playoffs stage 12 times out of the 14 seasons they have played.
Recently before the start of IPL 2024, Dhoni spoke to Star Sports and credited CSK’s fanbase for their success. He believed that their fans have always supported team irrespective of the result.
“Whenever there were matches in Chennai, the crowd will always be there. They are very supportive. Not only towards us, but when opposition played good cricket, they always appreciated that. So, I feel proud that we have fans like that who really back us. We have always got good reception, irrespective of whether we had won the trophy or not,” Dhoni said.
Dhoni also lauded the CSK team management for their support. The management, led by the head coach Stephen Fleming, has played a big role in CSK’s success. Fleming has been CSK’s coach since 2009, when he retired as a player.
He believed that the calm and subdued reactions of the team management, even at the team’s loss, helped them to stay away from undue stress.
“The management has always been very supportive. Even when we were slightly disappointed because we had not won the game or we didn’t have a very good run over a period of time, they never showcased it to us, they would keep it to themselves. If you lose a match, everybody feels bad. The reactions of some people are over the top while some people have subdued reactions and I feel we have subdued reactions,” Dhoni explained.
“If we had lost a game, they knew why we had lost it. They knew the period at which the game slipped out of our hands, whether it’s first six overs, middle overs, or the death overs. So, it’s always good to have people who understand cricket. The undue stress goes out of the system, he added.
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will start their IPL 2024 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on March 22. The battle is likely to be a high-intensity affair as two of India’s all-time greats MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be up against each other.
