IPL 2021: Even if he doesn't score runs, MS Dhoni is CSK's most important player

Now is a good time to write this article. MS Dhoni only recently smashed 18 runs off six balls against the Delhi Capitals (DC) in a vintage display of finishing prowess to take his beloved Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to yet another Indian Premier League (IPL) final.

In fact, now is the perfect time to write this article. Because even if Dhoni hadn't scored the runs he did, even if he had been left to rue sending himself ahead of the in-form Ravindra Jadeja, even if CSK had been pushed to Qualifier 2, he would've remained the team's most important player.

Dhoni has always been an entertaining personality at the toss, and when standing alongside someone as vivacious as Danny Morrison, headlines are inevitable. CSK's last league game of each of the last two seasons, incidentally both against the Punjab Kings, has seen the Kiwi commentator ask Dhoni about his future in the IPL.

"Definitely not" was what the CSK skipper said at the end of IPL 2020, in which the Men in Yellow missed out on the playoffs for the first time ever. 14 IPL games down the line, Dhoni returned a different answer when posed the same question by Morrison. This time, the 40-year-old hinted at considering retirement depending upon retention criteria, but insisted he'd be part of CSK in some capacity.

Critics have been sent into a frenzy each time Dhoni plays an innings for CSK, insisting that the three-time champions are better off without their captain. But it's important to realize that even if he scores a duck in every game he plays for the franchise, the role he plays is impossible to find a replacement for.

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No one except MS Dhoni can get the best out of this CSK bowling attack

MS Dhoni [R] has commanded an average bowling attack to above-average feats

Most great franchises in IPL history have had one or more strike bowlers. The Mumbai Indians have had Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah for most of their IPL reign, while the other franchises who have taken part in the IPL 2021 playoffs have the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Yuzvendra Chahal, Anrich Nortje and Kasgio Rabada.

But CSK's bowling attack is perhaps the only one in IPL 2021 which doesn't have anyone specific to turn to when the going gets tough. MS Dhoni's numerous bowling changes, where he shuffles his bowlers around in the hope that batters never settle, are the only thing keeping the CSK ticker moving on the field.

Even when Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood have been expensive in the powerplay, Dhoni has found a way to pull things back in the middle overs. Ravindra Jadeja, the CSK skipper's trusted general in overs 7-15, has been immense this season - even against left-handers. Moeen Ali has been used when needed and has one of the best economy rates in IPL 2021.

The manner in which Dhoni has shuffled his pacers from one end while keeping a spinner on from the other has been fascinating to watch. Bowlers like Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo have consistently provided breakthroughs in the middle overs, with Chahar and Hazlewood occasionally sneaking in an over or two.

IPL 2021 has seen the rise of MS Dhoni - the fast bowler's captain. Moeen has bowled only 25.2 overs this season, while Jadeja has bowled the third-most for the team at 45. Relying on his quicks to keep the runs down, Dhoni has entered the depths of his captaincy character to fish out something we didn't know he had.

The hallmark of a truly great captain, Dhoni has been able to get the most out of his pacers even though that hasn't been his modus operandi over the years. He has commandeered his team through a variety of venue changes and a mid-season break fairly unscathed, with his combination of astute bowling changes and accurate field placements.

It's arguable that no one apart from MS Dhoni will be able to take this CSK bowling attack to the heights it has reached this season, although credit must also be given to the bowlers for executing their plans to near-perfection.

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MS Dhoni, the finisher who refuses to lose faith in himself

MS Dhoni appears to be a man on a mission as the IPL 2021 final draws closer

MS Dhoni's Qualifier 1 knock wasn't a surprise to those who have followed the team over the last few years. Even though his batting abilities have waned a touch, the 40-year-old's confidence in his own abilities never has. Promoting himself ahead of Jadeja was just one instance of his unyielding self-belief - it's just that it happened in a high-profile game.

Dhoni is running the last mile of his cricketing career, but he still has that presence at the crease. It may not be visible to fans and other casual watchers of the game because of his dwindling returns, but it's clearly visible in the way CSK have structured their batting order and the way their players talk about Dhoni's much-criticized form.

By radicalizing the No. 3 spot, CSK have essentially used all of their middle-order batters as floaters, and Dhoni is as important as the others in the lineup. He has remained unbeaten in three chases in the second phase already, acting as an enabler if not as an aggressor.

Dhoni is extremely valuable to his batting partner with his advice and calmness, something several players have attested to in the past. The CSK captain's newfound explosiveness at the death is only a welcome bonus to what is a healthy package of incredible game awareness and razor-sharp leadership.

Off the field, Dhoni has made several key decisions to take CSK into the position they are today. Backing players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, using Moeen Ali at No. 3, revamping his team's batting approach and formulating plans for the pacers to execute - Dhoni has been the mastermind behind much of CSK's operations in IPL 2021.

The IPL 2021 final will be another tactically charged battle against a fellow World Cup-winning captain in Eoin Morgan. Dhoni has been here before, nine times with CSK to be precise. Even if the doesn't score runs in the final, and in any future games he may play for CSK, he will remain the franchise's most important player until the day he decides to hang up his boots.