Former Australian player Tom Moody believes the four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) would undergo significant adjustments following MS Dhoni’s retirement.
The IPL 2023 season is coming to a close, with the playoffs beginning on May 23 and featuring the top four teams.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have reached their 12th playoff and will face Gujarat Titans in the first qualifier on May 23 in Chennai.
Moody believes that, while Dhoni will be there in the CSK camp in a different capacity in the future, the impact of leadership on the field will undoubtedly shift. According to expert commentators, the importance of captaincy in the IPL is critical for clubs to advance to the playoffs.
“It will change dramatically on the field, for sure. He will still have a presence because I’m sure he will still be there in some mentor role or coaching role. The impact of leadership is significant in the IPL and we have seen historically that the very well-led teams are more often than not in the top four,”
said Moody in a conversation with ESPNcricinfo.
The 57-year-old also stated that a franchise like CSK would not change things too much because the culture inside the club and personnel is set. Moody also cited an instance from the previous year’s IPL in which Ravindra Jadeja was given the captaincy and things did not go as planned for CSK.
The cricketer-turned-commentator also stated that it is easier for players like Ajinkya Rahane and Piyush Chawla to play for clubs like CSK and the Mumbai Indians because they feel trusted and supported.
Chawla had his most fruitful IPL season in 2023, taking 20 wickets at an economy rate of 7.81 in 14 innings, while Rahane hit 282 runs in nine innings with a strike rate of 169.88.
“It is easier for someone like Piyush Chawla or Ajinkya Rahane to succeed in a franchise like MI or CSK because they feel like their skill is backed and they are trusted and given the opportunity to fail. Everyone fails, and it’s the case of making sure that person still feels that they belong and they are trusted in what they are doing,”
said Moody.
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