"Ben Stokes loved playing under MS Dhoni"

Former England skipper Eoin Morgan has revealed that Ben Stokes relished playing under MS Dhoni during his one-year stint with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 2019 World Cup-winning skipper believes both Stokes and the CSK captain absolutely love wearing the yellow jersey.

The Super Kings had shelled out a whopping INR 16.25 crore on Stokes ahead of IPL 2023, but the gun all-rounder played only two matches due to numerous niggles and returned home midway. The 32-year-old had also pulled out of the auction ahead of the 2024 edition to manage his workload.

Speaking to Jio Cinema, Morgan stated that Dhoni leaves a lasting mark on any team and player by backing them enormously. In that light, the Irishman suggested that he and Stokes are similar.

Morgan said:

"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.

"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."

The 2023 edition saw the legendary keeper-batter become the joint-most successful captain when the Super Kings beat the Gujarat Titans in the final for their fifth IPL title.

MS Dhoni-led CSK to play Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2024 opener

Meanwhile, the Super Kings will take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Chepauk on Friday, March 22. The Yellow Army have a strong record against the Royal Challengers, winning 20 out of 30 matches.

RCB are also one of the few franchises, who are yet to win the title and have reached the final thrice. They notably lost to the Super Kings in the 2011 edition's final.