Ben-Stokes-and-MS-Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Legendary Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni is expected to play his last IPL season in the upcoming edition of the tournament. Notably, Dhoni is the joint-most successful captain in the history of the T20 extravaganza along with Rohit Sharma with five titles to his name. The wicketkeeper-batter is known for having a ‘Midas touch’ on player’s careers who somehow manage to find their form playing under him.
One such player who’s enjoyed playing under MSD is England all-rounder Ben Stokes. Recently, former England captain Eoin Morgan revealed that Stokes loved playing under Dhoni both at Rising Pune Supergiants and CSK. Notably, Stokes played for Chennai in IPL 2023 after the franchise acquired his services for INR 16.25 Crore.
“Ben Stokes, who has an incredible amount of self-belief, loved playing under MS Dhoni. He did it at Pune for a couple of years and obviously shared the dressing room with him last year. They absolutely love wearing that yellow shirt,” said Morgan on Jio Cinema.
Notably, Stokes first played with Dhoni in 2017 in Rising Pune Supergiants. He later played under his leadership in CSK but could only play two games due to his knee injury. The all-rounder won’t be seen playing for the franchise in the upcoming season having made himself unavailable to manage his workload.
Dhoni leaves an indelible mark on every player
Further speaking about Dhoni’s leadership skills, Morgan said he leaves an indelible mark on every player instilling the belief to play with the pride associated with CSK.
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“They absolutely love it, to be honest. They talk about the same characteristics. When you’re talking about being led brilliantly, you always say, ‘Will the team follow him?’ When it’s MS Dhoni, you never question that. He leaves an indelible mark on every player. He instils the belief that they have the ability to go out and play with the pride that’s associated with CSK, and lets them know that everybody is backing them,” he added.