The IPL trade market is so to say struck by lightning with one of the biggest possible swaps ever in the history of the tournament. There is a chance that Sanju Samson would arrive at the Chennai Super Kings while Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran would leave.
And now, the former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif argues this extremely attractive transfer may turn out to be MS Dhoni’s last major decision as a captain before he exits the IPL.
Kaif sees MS Dhoni as the real brain and behind-the-scenes move maker for the Samson-Jadeja swap
On his YouTube channel, the ex-Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif explained that MS Dhoni is the one who has likely managed to negotiate and work the deals out between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR)
“Since IPL started, the two players had their debut roles back in 2008. Since then, Dhoni has also played at CSK and if the trade goes through, this is his last year. There might also be a chance that he will leave in case the middle season,” Kaif explained.
Kaif opines that Dhoni’s choice to support Samson is both strategic and emotional, as it is aimed at ensuring the leadership torch is passed on to a capable and composed one.
“If Sanju comes in, and starts playing, first he will get to know the management and Dhoni, next he may even be asked by Dhoni to take over. We let go of Jadeja, our match-winner for a long time, but we need a captain for the future,” he concluded.
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Moreover, he suggested that MS Dhoni might also retire in the middle of the season, which would happen only after Sanju Samson has been integrated into the CSK management.
“They appointed Jadeja as the captain first. He was unable to cope with the situation. He refused to accept the role. Eventually, he declared that he couldn’t do it. Not every player can handle the captaincy in the IPL. As part of his long-term strategy, Dhoni wants to sacrifice Jadeja so that a player who is capable of taking the leadership post after the Dhoni era comes in.”
Ravindra Jadeja was the one who earlier relinquished the CSK captaincy
During the IPL 2022 season, Ravindra Jadeja, the Chennai Super Kings captain, threw in the towel in the middle of the tournament after a rocky start to his leadership curve.
He was made CSK’s new captain before the tournament began but could not handle the pressure of captaining the side along with his own performance issues, and the team could win only two out of the first eight matches.
On April 30, 2022, the team declared that MS Dhoni would be in charge as captain for the rest of the season.
It was then reported that Jadeja wanted to devote his time to his game. Ultimately, MS Dhoni turned over the leadership torch to Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2024.
