MS Dhoni, Chepauk's Superstar, Returns in a New Role

The roar of Chepauk awaits, as does the DJ with Chennai, and most of the country is eagerly awaiting the return of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Last season, each time MS Dhoni came out to the middle the DJ and the crowd both went berserk. The DJ in particular, rose to the occasion, playing a famous local beat each time, showing MS Dhoni in the stature of local superstars such as Rajnikanth.

MS Dhoni now returns far fitter, with his knee treated. He has an explosive line-up around him and the question remains to be seen if he can comfortably run between the wickets. Last season he did have his difficulties while running twos and was visibly disturbed with his knee. Now, after an operation, there are chances that he could be around for more than just the last 2 overs with the bat.

Vintage MS Dhoni Returns

MS Dhoni, though, has proven many times that he is much more than those 8-10 balls in the death. Last season, he pushed himself down the order so many times, frequently coming below Ravindra Jadeja’s likes. While not trying much with the bat, MS Dhoni made a lot of impact with his other strengths, the gloves and captaincy. He shook the Final last season with his vintage lightning stumping to get Shubman Gill, providing CSK their first breakthrough. With his captaincy, MS Dhoni once again continues to find a way to make use of a young bowling attack.

All throughout the franchise’s history, CSK has made it a habit of buying some good batters while investing in young bowling. Last season too, they did the same with Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, and Tushar Deshpande stepping up.

Social Media often terms the Super Kings as the Dads Army with their tendency to prefer older and experienced players. MS Dhoni and Co though have silently proved that they do have a young talent core, bowlers in particular doing the job.

MS Dhoni and The Chepauk Crowd

The return of MS Dhoni is something which fans as well will be very eager for. Last season the roars at the toss were something else with Decible meters rising high. He gave the crowd a few significant treats as well with some thrilling performances. Final over finishes and one on ones are aspects with his batting that are often big with his style of play. He almost gave the crowd a similar moment against Sandeep Sharma before falling short after two big hits in the Final over.

His captaincy last season in Chepauk as well was at its best on a few occasions. Not many cricketers know that ground as well as him, and MS Dhoni over the years has shown that he is a completely different captain when the ball turns.

To his benefit, he had Ravindra Jadeja in full form, and the duo were actively working to strangle batters all through the season. His entries with the bat though had a different approach. Each stadium has its style of playing film music to enhance the local flavour. The Chinnaswamy often goes with KGF tunes when Virat Kohli walks out while Bollywood themes are the norm at the northern stadiums.

With Chepauk, like the Chinnaswamy, local tunes go trending again. When MS Dhoni walks out to bat, each time there is a different tune, putting his entry at par with those of the big local cinema stars. The volume from the DJ goes up as does the volume of the crowd.

The MS Dhoni Captaincy Legacy Moves On

A couple of weeks ago MS Dhoni did put up a post regarding a new role he was excited about. Few though would have expected for what followed with Ruturaj Gaikwad turning up for the captain’s photo shoot. The role he plays now as a player will certainly be, an interesting one. The eyes, though will still remain on him as the crowd will be waiting to watch MS Dhoni one more time.

He’s led the side to five titles and was around as captain from the very first season, barring half of 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja was handed the captaincy. CSK will be hoping that a repeat of 2022 does not happen though, and MS Dhoni himself will be eager to ensure that he can make a mark despite not having the C next to his name.

At 42, and with concerns over his knee, MS Dhoni continues to find it tough to leave the center stage. He is taking his measures though and will be hoping to sign off on a high, particularly at the Chepauk, a ground which holds so many memories in both his franchise and international career.