MS Dhoni's 3 best quotes from IPL 2023
MS Dhoni returned to the cricket field in IPL 2023, leading the Chennai Super Kings team in the tournament. CSK performed brilliantly under his captaincy and won their fifth trophy.
Dhoni did not contribute much with the bat, but he chipped in with some handy cameos in the league stage. The CSK captain was troubled by a knee injury throughout the season. He managed it well and played all 16 matches for CSK in the tournament.
While MS Dhoni's big hits and wicket-keeping skills have impressed the fans a lot, the Chennai Super Kings captain is also known for his witty remarks on the mic. Dhoni no longer participates in interviews off the field, but since he captained CSK in IPL 2023, he spoke on the mic at the toss and also after the match at the presentation ceremony.
Now that IPL 2023 is in the history books, here's a look at the top three quotes from Dhoni during the latest season.
#1 MS Dhoni subtly warns his bowlers to control extras
Chennai Super Kings did not have the strongest bowling lineup on paper in IPL 2023. Plus, injuries to Mukesh Choudhary, Sisanda Magala, Kyle Jamieson, and Ben Stokes further reduced CSK's bowling options in the tournament.
MS Dhoni utilized the available resources to perfection. He got the best out of players like Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana, etc.
While the bowlers did a decent job overall, they gave Dhoni a little headache at the start of the tournament by conceding too many extras. After CSK's win against Lucknow Super Giants on April 3, Dhoni gave a subtle warning to his bowlers and said:
"They'll have to bowl no no balls and less wides. We are bowling too many extra deliveries and need to cut them out otherwise they'll be playing under a new captain."
#2 MS Dhoni's chats with Harsha Bhogle and Danny Morrison
Harsha Bhogle and Danny Morrison have asked Dhoni about his retirement from IPL in the past. While Dhoni replied 'Definitely not' to Morrison in 2020, he confirmed to Bhogle in 2021 that 'He had not left (his legacy) behind yet'.
In 2023, both Morrison and Bhogle asked him about his future at different stages in the competition. Morrison asked him if he would come back to play in Lucknow in IPL 2024 as well, to which Dhoni replied:
"Well, you have decided it's my last."
After the IPL 2023 final, Dhoni had a long chat with Harsha Bhogle, where he gave another update on his future and said:
"Circumstantially, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love I have received all over, the easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be to work hard for nine months and try to play another IPL. It would be a gift from me, won’t be easy on the body."
#3 MS Dhoni's cheeky comment about Ambati Rayudu
Ambati Rayudu played his final IPL season this year. He played a small but important cameo for CSK in his last IPL match against the Gujarat Titans. That cameo helped Chennai become the IPL 2023 champions.
Harsha Bhogle asked MS Dhoni to say a few words about Rayudu in the post-match presentation of the IPL 2023 final. While Dhoni praised Rayudu's commitment and how both of them do not use phones much, he also cheekily added:
"With him (Ambati Rayudu) in team, I can never win IPL Fair Play award because he reacts too quickly."
Notably, CSK won the Fair Play Award six times in their first eight seasons. Rayudu joined CSK in 2018, and after that, they are yet to win the award again.