"He is always looking fit, I like his new hairstyle, it's cool" - Dwayne Bravo hails skipper MS Dhoni ahead of IPL 2024
Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder and current bowling coach Dwayne Bravo spoke glowingly about skipper MS Dhoni's leadership and praised his fitness and new hairstyle ahead of the 2024 IPL season.
Bravo played under Dhoni for CSK from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2018 to 2022, helping the franchise win three of its five titles in 2011, 2018, and 2021. CSK also triumphed for a fifth time last season with Dhoni at the helm and Bravo as bowling coach, defeating the Gujarat Titans (GT) in a thrilling last-ball finish in the finale.
Speaking about MS Dhoni at the inauguration ceremony of Avira Diamonds' store in Chennai, Bravo told reporters (via The New Indian Express):
"His leadership speaks for himself, and you know we enjoy every moment playing under his leadership. He is always looking fit, I like his new hairstyle, it's cool."
Bravo strongly feels about CSK's chances to win their sixth title but remained modest in calling themselves the favorites.
"Our chances are very good. But at the same time, we can't go into the tournament thinking we are favorites, and that we are going to win. We've to prepare well as a team, which we always do. We also have really good players. Captain Cool (MS Dhoni) is there, so we have a very good chance of defending our trophy, but it is not going to be easy," added Bravo.
Since returning to the IPL after a two-year hiatus in 2018, CSK has won three titles in the past six seasons, including two of the last three in 2021 and 2023.
"We have a lot of depth" - Dwayne Bravo on CSK's bowling attack
Dwayne Bravo praised CSK's depth in the bowling department with the additions of Shardul Thakur and Mustafizur Rahman as well as the returning Mukesh Choudhary.
CSK boasted three bowlers — Tushar Deshpande, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana — in the top ten leading wicket-takers chart last season.
"We have our baby Lasith Malinga in Pathirana. Mukesh is back and so is Deepak (Chahar). Also, it's good to have Shardul back in the team. And Fizz (Mustafizur) is also there. So, this squad is very good. We have a lot of depth. These guys add to what we had last year, and we have a better attack now," said Bravo.
Bravo also spoke about his role as a death bowling specialist and highlighted its importance.
"In the auction, I didn't have any input. But now my job starts, and I take part in the specific death bowling role because that's my speciality. In T20s, thats a very important segment of the game and it requires a lot of skill, bravery and planning. So, you have to implement it in practice and get these guys to believe in a philosophy and work towards it," concluded Bravo.
Bravo was among the best death bowlers in the IPL and remains the second-leading wicket-taker in league history with 183 scalps (Yuzvendra Chahal is at the top of the list with 187 wickets).
Meanwhile, CSK will kickstart their IPL 2024 season with a highly-anticipated clash against RCB at home on March 22.