“I have 7 letters in my name” – Leander Paes picks MS Dhoni as his favorite IPL player
Former professional tennis player Leander Paes has picked Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni as his favorite player in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The reaction came when Paes was enquired about his favorite player during a Q&A session on Instagram. The user asked:
“Leander, who is your favorite player in IPL?"
In response, Paes shared a throwback post with Dhoni playing football together, replying:
“There is a reason I have 7 letters in my name.”
For the unversed, Paes has won 18 men’s doubles and mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He made 34 Grand Slam finals across men's doubles and mixed doubles. He retired from professional tennis in 2021.
On the other hand, Dhoni is the most successful captain in the IPL, having led the Super Kings to 133 wins in 226 matches at a win percentage of 58.84. The 42-year-old is only the second skipper to have won five trophies after Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) in the cash-rich league.
As a player, Dhoni has scored over 5,000 runs, including 24 half-centuries in the T20 league. He’s only the second player after Suresh Raina to score over 5,000 runs for CSK in the tournament.
“Ruturaj Gaikwad is a good option” - Suresh Raina picks future captain of CSK after MS Dhoni
Suresh Raina has picked Ruturaj Gaikwad as his next skipper to lead the Chennai Super Kings. The reaction comes amid rumors that Dhoni will retire at the end of IPL 2024.
Raina recently told Jio Cinema:
"The biggest question is who'll be their next captain? Even if Dhoni stepped away as captain, he'll be in the dugout whether it's as a mental toughness coach or just for his presence. But the question is, who is he going to nurture?"
He added:
"Ruturaj Gaikwad is a good option. This year is a very important year for CSK, more than for MS Dhoni. Because we'll see who he is going to select as his deputy."
Gaikwad has led second-string India to the 2023 Asian Games gold. As a player, he has been sensational with the bat, scoring 1797 runs in 52 matches, including one century and 14 fifties. He is likely to open with his new batting partner Rachin Ravindra in regular opener Devon Conway’s absence due to injury.