'They have shown how to win big matches' - Sourav Ganguly lauds MS Dhoni's 'remarkable' captaincy

Former Indian cricketer Sourav Ganguly hailed MS Dhoni after Chennai Super Kings (CSK) accomplished a remarkable turnaround in 2023 following a miserable last season in the Indian Premier League.

Dhoni's CSK capped off a terrible season in 2022, finishing ninth in the 10-team competition. However, in 2023, CSK were the first team to advance to the IPL final, overcoming the reigning champs Gujarat Titans by 15 runs in Qualifier 1.

After being put into bat first in the Qualifier, Ruturaj Gaikwad (60), Devon Conway (40) and some cameos from the middle-order helped CSK set up a fighting total of 172. When the host team came out to bowl, Dhoni's precise bowling selections and clever field positioning restricted Gujarat to 157 as CSK won the match by 15 runs.

Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni have been fantastic: Ganguly

Sourav Ganguly lauded Dhoni and CSK team for reaching their 10th final in 14 seasons and complimented the former for commanding CSK's comeback in the current season. Ganguly also discussed about the fascinating new players who have emerged during this IPL season, including the likes of Rinku Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel.

"Chennai Super Kings and MS Dhoni have been fantastic. They have shown how to win big matches. Dhoni has been remarkable in his captaincy. He has shown how to win big matches," Ganguly was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. 

"Rinku Singh has played well, Dhruv Jurel has played well and Yashasvi Jaiswal also did well. Jitesh ( Sharma) played well for Punjab Kings. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma have played well. The IPL is a huge Tournament and they have done exceptionally well," the former BCCI president added.

The four-time champions secured the second spot on the IPL 2023 points table to seal their berth for the playoffs. With eight wins, five defeats and one no-result, Chennai earned 17 points in 14 games. They will play the winner of Qualifier 2 between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the final on May 28 in Ahmedabad.