3 players who you didn't know were MS Dhoni's teammates in the IPL
It was Ravindra Jadeja's heroics which helped CSK win their 5th IPL title not long ago and Dhoni's reaction after the title triumph was enough to prove what CSK meant to him.
He lifted Jadeja in his arms as the yellow brigade joined Mumbai Indians as the joint most successful team in the history of IPL.
Several players have flourished in their careers under the captaincy of Dhoni and credit their success to the role Dhoni played in their progress. However, there are quite a few players whom you may not know once played with Dhoni in the IPL.
What many would not know is that Scott Boland was once part of the same IPL team with the most successful IPL captain MS Dhoni. Boland plied his trade for the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant back in 2016 under the leadership of Dhoni.
Australia's newfound cult hero Boland produced a couple of exceptional deliveries to dismiss Shubman Gill and Srikar Bharat which put India on the backfoot after the Aussues put up a huge score of 487 in their 1st innings. They had been put into bat by Rohit Sharma.
Boland made one jag back sharply which Shubman Gill left to have his stumps rattled, leaving India at 30/2.
Earlier on Day 3, he again shaped one into KS Bharat which breached his defence and disturbed the timber.
Let us now take a look at 3 players who you didn't know were MS Dhoni's teammates in the IPL.
# 1 Scott Styris
The former New Zealand all-rounder was part of the Deccan Chargers franchise for the first three editions of the biggest T20 spectacle in the year.
He later moved to CSK in 2011 and played under the leadership of Dhoni. He only played a couple of matches in 2011 but didn't leave an impact.
He just scored 5 runs and didn't take a single wicket. Styris wasn't given a match in 2012 and had to warm the benches. It was his final season in the cash-rich league.
# 2 Nuwan Kulasekara
Once the No 1 bowler in the ODI format, Nuwan Kulasekara was a constant fixture in the Sri Lankan team during the early 2010s.
He had the ability to swing the ball back in late and could produce nagging line and lengths for long periods of time.
Kulasekara was bought by CSK ahead of the 2011 season and was captained by MS Dhoni in those two years.
He couldn't quite produce the goods in CSK colours and only bagged 5 wickets in 6 games for the franchise. He was released by CSK ahead of the 2013 season and he never played for any other IPL team again.
# 3 Andrew Flintoff
The former England all-rounder, who was once regarded as one of the finest to have played the game, was one of the star signings for CSK ahead of the 2009 season which was staged in South Africa.
Despite his hefty price tag, Flintoff couldn't quite live up to his reputation.
He played just 3 matches in the 2009 season without making an impact. Freddie just picked up 2 wickets in 3 outings, besides scoring 62 runs. He never played in the IPL again.