Ravi Shastri delivers monumental statement on the legacy of MS Dhoni in IPL

Ravi Shastri and Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Legendary cricketer MS Dhoni, who engineered Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) record-equalling achievement in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 final on Tuesday, left former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri in awe. At the Narendra Modi Stadium on Tuesday, Dhoni's CSK defeated the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the thrilling final over to win their fifth IPL championship. With the victory, CSK has tied Mumbai Indians (MI) for the most IPL titles with five. 

Former Indian team captain Dhoni, regarded as one of the most accomplished players in the sport's history, made his 250th game in the lucrative tournament on Tuesday. The player with the most IPL appearances also tied MI captain Rohit Sharma with the most titles won as captain. 

Ravi Shastri’s magnificent statement on Dhoni’s legacy in the IPL

Speaking of Dhoni's outstanding contribution to the Indian Premier League, former Indian team head coach Shastri praised the CSK captain on Star Sports for playing in 250 games of the prestigious competition. He said, "250 IPL matches is a tribute to MS Dhoni's fitness. No one can match the kind of legacy Dhoni is going to leave behind in this tournament. He is called Thala by the whole of Chennai and Tamil Nadu. The love and adulation a guy from Jharkhand receives down south from fans of CSK is testimony to the greatness of this cricketer."

Harbhajan Singh also joined in on the discussion and spoke about the statement Dhoni made regarding his retirement plans from IPL. Dhoni, who was under consideration for calling it stumps at the end of the current season, hasn't ruled out captaining the Chennai Super Kings in the biggest event in the entire world in 2024. 

He said, "This is the biggest news for fans. MS Dhoni will come back next year and he will return with even better fitness. Fans will get to witness their beloved Thala don that yellow jersey again. The expectations are going to be high from CSK next year and this team knows pretty well how to handle that pressure of expectations."