IPL 2018: 4 Reasons why MS Dhoni is so successful in this season

IPL has almost reached halfway mark in the league stages and has already found new upcoming stars. Mayank Markande, Ankit Rajpoot, Prithvi Shaw and many more youngsters have impressed everyone with their performances.

IPL, not only provides a platform for the upcoming talents, but also for the senior players, who can use this opportunity to prove their form or make a comeback into the national side.

Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Gautam Gambhir were among the veterans who had their point to prove. Only Captain cool has come out at the top and has rejuvenated himself as the finisher which he was known for.

There were concerns about Dhoni whether he has the firepower to finish games or not. But with recent performances in IPL 2018, he has answered all the critics. Let us find out the reasons what has changed Dhoni's fortunes.

---

#4 Batting higher up the order

Dhoni has looked in sublime form while batting up the order

Before the start of the IPL, the focus was on Dhoni whether he would finish games for CSK or not. In recent times, he has failed while finishing matches for India.

Stephen Fleming, head coach of CSK, had hinted that Dhoni will at No. 4. In most of the matches, he has batted at four or five, which has given him the given extra time to settle in.

As a result, captain cool is striking the ball cleanly and scoring runs at a brisk rate. In 2017 IPL, Dhoni's strike rate was 116.0, but this season it has moved up to 159.86.

#3 Captaincy responsibility

Dhoni is captaining the team almost after two years

In IPL 2017, Rising Pune Supergiants had made a big announcement, when they chose Steve Smith as a captain of the team instead of Dhoni.

After the removal of captaincy, former Indian captain never looked in the zone and struggled in batting. CSK came back after serving two years of suspension, and it was a no-brainer that Thalaiva will be their leader.

Dhoni has looked in a completely different zone after donning the captaincy of CSK. He has scored 286 runs in 8 matches at an amazing strike rate of nearly 170. The added responsibility of captaincy has instilled new life into his batting.

#2 Counterattacking the spinners

In the past, Dhoni has struggled against spin

Dhoni's main concern in batting was the ability to play against the spin. Especially against a left-arm spinner or wrist spinner, he has struggled to score or even given his wicket.

Last year, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla and other wrist spinners had kept him quiet. This season in the tournament opener against Mumbai, he fell to Mayank Markande.

As the tournament progressed, Dhoni got better against spin and his strike also improved drastically. In match-winning knock against Bangalore, he smashed Pawan Negi back to back sixes and also rotated the strike smartly against Yuzvendra Chahal, who was bowling well at the other end.

Dhoni's strategy of playing the spin has helped his strike rate overall and has looked in ominous touch.

#1 Worked on his weakness

Dhoni had issues with short deliveries and wide outside off stump

There was a chink in the armour in Dhoni's batting style as it hampered his ability to finish games for India. He was not at his best, and there were concerns over his batting strike rate.

The main reason behind his downfall was the inability to rotate strike at the start of the inning, and using up too many dot balls. In the death overs, fast bowlers would bowl wide outside off stump or cramp him up with short deliveries.

Dhoni has worked on his weakness and has looked in great touch. His strike rotation has improved significantly and played well against the pace bowlers. He normally shuffles before the bowler bowls which helps him to play deliveries wide outside off stump.

The shot against Mohammed Siraj's wide yorker fetched him six runs was a great example that he has finally overcome his weakness.

He is finishing matches at will and proved why he is rated as one of the best finishers in the game.

---

Our tournament homepage has IPL live score, Match Analysis, Detailed Stats, Fantasy Tips, Controversies, Match Predictions and much more. Bookmark it now!