"At this age doing what he is doing is incredible" - Ambati Rayudu hails CSK skipper MS Dhoni after winning IPL 2023
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) middle-order batter Ambati Rayudu was effusive in his praise of skipper MS Dhoni for leading the team to a fifth IPL title at the age of 41.
CSK defeated the Gujarat Titans in a last-ball thriller to win the IPL 2023 final to capture their fifth title, equalling Mumbai Indians' (MI) record.
Before the final, the 37-year-old announced his retirement after 14 years in the IPL through his social media handle.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV Sports, Ambati Rayudu paid tribute to CSK skipper MS Dhoni playing with a strapped knee.
"He thinking beyond himself, he thinking for everybody, he thinks even for India, the whole population, that's his greatest attribute," Rayudu said. "At this age doing what he is doing is incredible, I don't think anybody else could have done what he is doing and not just playing but playing so well, he is just magic."
Rayudu also felt that the turning point for CSK came after their victory against the Mumbai Indians in Chennai.
"Definitely, that win against Mumbai's in Chennai was one game where we really felt we are in this season, in for the real deal and from there on, maybe the KKR game was a little dampener but it actually fired us up to go to Delhi and win a must-win game and from there on we knew if we do our basics right we are in with a really good chance," Rayudu added.
Ambati Rayudu also added that the team was most wary of the Gujarat Titans to the point of hoping to avoid playing them in the final.
"But we were always scared of GT, the way they were playing this season, we really didn't want them to come to the finals but we had to face them especially their bowling it was unbelievable," Rayudu added.
Despite losing all three games against GT since last season, MS Dhoni and his men defeated the Titans in Qualifier 1 and the final to clinch their fifth IPL title.
"These two teams have been blessed with really good team players more than individual stars" - Ambati Rayudu on his IPL titles with MI and CSK
Ambati Rayudu also shed light on being part of six IPL title runs with the two most successful franchises, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, in his illustrious career.
The 37-year-old was part of the MI setup from 2010 to 2017 before joining CSK in 2018. Speaking about the reasons behind the success of the two franchises, Rayudu said:
"It's just that these two teams have been blessed with really good team players more than individual stars, that's always been the case. If you look at even MI, I don't they've had many orange caps and purple caps in their seasons and still they won a lot of trophies and even in CSK , there are lot of players who go out there and do everything for the team and not just from 2018 but from a very long time. That's the culture that has really made both the teams successful."
Rayudu played a vital role in MI's title runs in 2013, 2015, and 2017 before winning the title with CSK in 2018, 2021, and 2023.
He was arguably the most valuable player in CSK's 2018 triumph, scoring 602 runs in 16 games.
Ambati Rayudu is one of only two players with six IPL titles, along with MI skipper Rohit Sharma.