IPL 2022: 5 players you might not know were once MS Dhoni's teammates
MS Dhoni is one of the most successful players in the history of the IPL. He has represented two franchises - Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS). Dhoni has led CSK to four league titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021) - the second-most by any captain.
He has been a part of 220 matches since the inception of the tournament, which is also a record. As such, he has shared a dressing room with many cricketers over the years with CSK and RPS.
We take a look at 5 such players who you might not know were Dhoni's teammates.
#1 MS Dhoni's lesser-known IPL teammates: Jacob Oram
New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram represented Chennai Super Kings in 18 matches across 4 seasons (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013). He scored 106 runs at a strike rate of 98 and took 9 wickets at an economy rate of 8.84.
Oram's best performance with the ball was against the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008. He dismissed Brendon McCullum, Ricky Ponting, and Dinesh Karthik while conceding 32 runs in 4 overs. He was the Player of the Match in that game.
#2 MS Dhoni's lesser-known IPL teammates: Andrew Flintoff
Have CSK been able to replace Flintoff? #csk #flintoff
England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff was the joint-most expensive signing for the 2009 edition of the IPL. His presence in the league was hyped a lot because he was among the richest purchases by a team in the tournament's short history at the time.
He represented CSK in only three matches that season, scoring 62 runs and taking two wickets. However, he was ruled out for the rest of the season due to a meniscus tear in his knee.
#3 MS Dhoni's lesser-known IPL teammates: Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini was signed by CSK for the very first season of the league. He picked up seven wickets at an economy rate of 6.91 in nine matches for the Chennai-based franchise. He played a pivotal role in Chennai making it to the Final that season.
Ntini also took a hat-trick for CSK against the Kolkata Knight Riders. He dismissed Sourav Ganguly, Debabrata Das, and David Hussey. The insane thing about this hat-trick was that all the batters were clean bowled by the South African pacer.
#4 MS Dhoni's lesser-known IPL teammates: Akila Dananjaya
Sri Lankan mystery spinner Akila Dananjaya was picked up by CSK for his base price of $20,000. However, he didn't feature for the men in yellow in even a single game.
He later went on to play a match for Mumbai Indians in 2018, where he returned poor figures of 0/47 in 4 overs. After a dismal debut, he never got another chance to showcase his skills in the league.
#5 MS Dhoni's lesser-known IPL teammates: Dirk Nannes
Look who's with the whistles! http://t.co/2CYVAuya4g @dirk_nannes (via @russcsk) #whistlepodu
Dirk Nannes has had a relatively long career in the IPL as compared to some of the other names on this list. He played 29 matches across four seasons for Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Chennai Super Kings.
The left-arm quick represented CSK in five matches in 2013, picking up four wickets at an economy rate of 7.97. His best performance for the 4-time champions came against Punjab Kings in Mohali, where he dismissed Mandeep Singh and Adam Gilchrist cheaply. The former Aussie seamer returned figures of 2/17 in 3.5 overs in that game.