Irfan Pathan who is a former all-rounder has shared his excitement of seeing Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who has retired from international cricket, again in the field after a year gap but donning the yellow jersey while playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.
The ‘Helicopter’ will land in UAE this year as the cash-rich league is starting on 19th September. The former Indian captain has always done well whenever he has donned the yellow jersey for the second-most successful IPL franchise. MS Dhoni scored 416 runs in 15 matches last year at a staggering average of 83.2 and has notched up 4432 runs in 190 matches at an average of 42.21.
Irfan Pathan Warns Bowlers Who Will Face A Resurgent MS Dhoni
The left-hander pacer Irfan Pathan feels that as the Ranchi lad has given up playing International cricket, he will be playing the natural game in IPL without suffering any pressure. According to him, this will give the most wanted boost to arguably the greatest finisher of limited over cricket. The right-hander will be a lot more relaxed to deliver his very best by playing well in IPL 2020.
Irfan Pathan also gave a warning to all the bowlers who are participating in the IPL as he feels that the bowlers including him who have retired can enjoy their time watching the legendary batsman bat. But the bowlers who will be matching up against him could face serious trouble.
“When it comes to playing in the IPL, I think all the bowlers, even the players who have retired, guys like me as well, they will be very happy not to have to bowl to MS Dhoni, because he is going to go with full flow. I am really looking forward to it, and all the bowlers, be careful,” said Irfan Pathan.
Irfan Pathan was speaking on the show ‘Cricket Connected’ on Star Sports, where he was in conversation with former cricketer VVS Laxman and the sports anchor Jatin Sapru.
MS Dhoni Was The Highest Run-getter For Chennai Super Kings Last Year
The southpaw also praised MS Dhoni’s performance in IPL. He said that the World Cup-winning captain has always given his best for CSK and has been one of the most successful batsmen for them.
“Anyway when he plays for the CSK, he enjoys that, his best comes out as a batsman as well,” the former cricketer Irfan Pathan concluded.
Notably, MS Dhoni was the highest run-getter for Chennai Super Kings last year. MS Dhoni scored 416 runs in 15 appearances averaging 83.20 last year. The veteran cricketer has led the Chennai franchise from the inaugural year of IPL 2008.
Under him, the team has been the second most successful team in the extravaganza with three titles under their name. Mumbai Indians lead the race with four titles. It will be interesting to see how MS Dhoni manages the Chennai franchise this time around after deciding to hang his boots on Independence Day.
MS Dhoni was last seen in action in World Cup 2019 semi-final which India lost by 18 runs despite MS Dhoni scoring a half-century and Ravindra Jadeja scoring 77 off only 59 balls. Since then everything has changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in the postponement of the proposed T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020. The IPL was also postponed and instead of March 29, will start on September 19 in the United Arab Emirates.
Chennai Super Kings will have the likes of Faf Du Plessis, Lungi Ngidi, Shane Watson, Josh Hazlewood, and Dwayne Bravo apart from seasoned Indians like Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, and Harbhajan Singh to name a few for this year.