By Slogger
First publised on 2022-03-25 06:22:17
An era comes to an end in the IPL, more specifically in Chennai Super Kings, as the iconic Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has captained the franchisee team since inception and every year they played in the competition, stepped down and passed the baton to Ravindra Jadeja, his trusted lieutenant of many years.
It is no secret that Dhoni's batting from is not what it used to be for the last couple of seasons. But such is the aura surrounding the man that the owners of the franchise and his legion of fans cannot even think of CSK without Dhoni. Due to his long association with the franchise, Dhoni has become synonymous with CSK.
But playing a man whose current best is not going to be the best for the team is counter-productive and no one knows this better than M S Dhoni who has always quit when people asked why and not when they asked why not. This year, although the franchise insists that Dhoni will play, it is clear that he will play the role of a mentor to Jadeja, preparing him for the future. Dhoni is likely to sit out a few games and play in the others.
This is the best decision for both Dhoni and the CSK. The team is in transition as many players have been discarded for new players. One more season as player for Dhoni will serve to fine tune the newcomers into a fighting unit under the stewardship of Jadeja and guidance of Dhoni. After that, CSK will most likely retain Dhoni is a non-playing capacity if he agrees and finds time from his other commitments.