"Gave me an opportunity to understand a lot of foreign players" - MS Dhoni opens up on what makes the IPL 'special'

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni feels the opportunity to understand and interact with foreign players and their culture is what makes the IPL unique and special.

The 42-year-old has captained a record 226 IPL games, including over 200 for CSK, in his 16-year IPL career. Dhoni also boasts the most IPL wins as captain with 133, while leading CSK to a joint-record five titles.

Ahead of the 2024 season, Dhoni spoke about what makes the IPL special in a Star Sports video by saying:

“IPL gave me an opportunity to understand a lot of foreign players. I wasn’t somebody who talked a lot to the opposition players but IPL provided an opportunity to know about other players, to know what they think about cricket, to know their culture. All of that made IPL very interesting."

The former Indian captain also detailed how understanding each player on the side helps create the ideal culture and direction for success.

"The Chennai team that played in 2008 was a well-balanced team and had a lot of all rounders. The team had a vast pool of experienced players such as Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Muttiah Muralitharan, Makhaya Ntini, Jacob Oram. To get them all together in one dressing room, to get to know each other was a challenge," stated Dhoni.

"I always believed that when you’re leading a team, it is important to make sure you understand each other. Once you know the individual, you know his strength, his weaknesses, it becomes easier as a team to move in the right direction," he added.

Despite playing his final international game in 2019, Dhoni has remained successful as a captain in the IPL. The champion cricketer has led CSK to titles in two of the previous three seasons, including a nail-biting last-ball win in the grand finale against the Gujarat Titans in 2023.

Along with his unmatched accolades as captain, Dhoni is also the seventh-leading run-scorer in IPL history with 5,082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.91.

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MS Dhoni's CSK will open IPL 2024 campaign with a mouth-watering clash against RCB

CSK will open the defense of their IPL title with a highly-anticipated encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Chennai on March 22. The game will also be the curtain-raiser for the 2024 IPL season.

While CSK will be looking to win back-to-back titles for a second time after their twin triumphs in 2010 and 2011, RCB are still searching for the elusive IPL trophy. The Bangalore-based franchise missed out on the playoffs last season after a run of three consecutive playoff appearances from 2020 to 2022.

A sixth title for MS Dhoni's team will help them break a tie with the Mumbai Indians (MI) and become the IPL's most successful franchise.

The last time CSK and RCB met in a season opener in Chennai was in 2019 when the home side completed a convincing seven-wicket victory in a low-scoring affair.