IPL 2021: 3 best captaincy moves by MS Dhoni in the first half of the season

The recent news of MS Dhoni's appointment as India's mentor for the upcoming T20 World Cup was received with a racuous round of applause. Because although the former India skipper appears to have waned a touch with the bat, his tactical acumen is second to none even today.

Captaining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), Dhoni has helped the team banish the demons of the 2020 season. CSK are currently placed second in the IPL 2021 points table and could leapfrog the Delhi Capitals, who have played one extra game.

The Men in Yellow are in prime position to finish in the top two and challenge for their fourth IPL title, especially with a shrewd tactician at the helm of affairs. Here are MS Dhoni's three best captaincy moves in the first half of IPL 2021.

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#3 MS Dhoni brought on Sam Curran to a rampaging Andre Russell

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Sam Curran [left]

The 15th match of IPL 2021 saw the Chennai Super Kings take on the Kolkata Knight Riders. Batting first, CSK amassed a massive 220/3 in their 20 overs, with Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis putting on an immense opening stand.

In the second innings, Deepak Chahar ran through the KKR top order, scalping four wickets in the powerplay to have the two-time champions on the ropes. But the stage was perfectly set for Andre Russell to return to form, and the big West Indian went on a rampage.

Russell smashed his way to a whirlwind half-century off just 21 balls in the 11th over, and CSK desperately needed to get rid of the dangerman. Dhoni brought back Sam Curran, who had bowled one over for nine runs, in the 12th over.

Curran immediately produced a masterstroke. As Russell shaped himself up for an almighty heave, he slipped one down leg that the batsman tried to evade. The ball just managed to disturb the timber, leaving Russell dumbfounded.

Although Dhoni later insisted that bowling Russell round his legs was not a preconceived plan, bringing Curran on in the middle overs was a game-changing move.

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#2 MS Dhoni retained faith in Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings opener Ruturaj Gaikwad

After stroking three fifties towards the end of IPL 2020, Ruturaj Gaikwad was immediately expected to become a key cog in the CSK side. But after the Men in Yellow signed Robin Uthappa through a trade, his place in the team wasn't as secure.

Dhoni retained his faith in Gaikwad, who was named in the playing XI right from the start of the tournament. But the youngster had a disastrous start to his campaign as he managed only 20 runs in his first three innings at an abysmal strike rate.

The backdrop of CSK's batting woes in IPL 2020 only added to the pressure on Gaikwad, but Dhoni chose to stick by his opener. The 24-year-old repaid his captain's faith as he put up a stroke-filled fifty against KKR to return to form before playing another impressive knock against the Sunrisers Hyderabad one game later.

It would've been justified to drop Gaikwad after the third game, since he was uncharacteristically bad in the field as well. But Dhoni has made a habit of backing players when he sees talent in them, and it worked yet again.

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#1 MS Dhoni revitalized the CSK batting lineup by promoting Moeen Ali to No. 3

Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Moeen Ali

Ahead of IPL 2021, it was clear that something had to change for CSK in the batting department. Although the return of Suresh Raina and a few months of match practice for many players helped CSK improve when compared to their 2020 season, the absence of a mega-auction ensured that they couldn't make major tweaks to their roster.

An off-spinner was the need of the hour for CSK, who snapped up two of them - Moeen Ali and Krishnappa Gowtham. Ali hadn't set the IPL on fire previously for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. But not only did Dhoni make him an integral member of the playing XI, he also promoted the Englishman to No. 3, ahead of franchise legend and vice-captain Suresh Raina.

Ali was a revelation at No. 3. He attacked the spinners with ease, injecting momentum into the middle overs and keeping the scoreboard moving throughout the toughest phases of the innings. When IPL 2021 was called off, the all-rounder was in the top three of the MVP award and his team's second-highest run-scorer.