Before the final match in the Indian Premier League 2022 (IPL 2022), two questions were bothering the fans of Chennai Super Kings. Will MS Dhoni be available for IPL 2023 and if so, will he continue as the captain. Dhoni himself made it clear that he will play next year, but CSK are yet to decide on whether he will continue as captain for the next season. Meanwhile, former CSK opener batsman Matthew Hayden gave a big statement during commentary. However, veteran Sunil Gavaskar does not agree with his statement.
Speaking to Star Sports ahead of the Chennai-Rajasthan match at the Wankhede Stadium on Friday, Hayden admitted that the kind of work Dhoni has done as a captain and the love and support he has received from the fans of the franchise. It will be an “emotional decision” for the franchise. If we look at individual performances, then the 41-year-old should not get a chance to lead the team in the next season.
Hayden compared Dhoni to Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson, further saying that he feels Samson has contributed much better than Dhoni as a batsman. Despite this, questions are being raised on him. He said, “It is really difficult. It depends on what the franchisee expects. If you want a captain who has scored 200 runs this season at a strike rate of 128, that’s fine. He still has power in his hands, he is still alert behind the stumps, running within the wicket is also superb. He is also the most experienced captain in the entire IPL and has won a lot of titles and the team is also behind him. But when they look at rebuilding the team, how much will MSD contribute from that? ,
Hayden continued, “If you look at his actual contribution, I would say that there is no point in playing. Take a look at Samson, he has scored over 300 runs at an average of 30 and it is still a question whether that is a substantial contribution as a captain. So these are the things that will be looked into and it will be a very emotional decision. Listen to the fans how they are reacting to them. It’s very important and that’s why I don’t want to talk about it.”
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar was also a part of this conversation, he denied Hayden’s comments and said that Dhoni should continue with his role next year. He said, “You always want to see a legend like MS Dhoni play. It was a sad occasion when Sachin retired. All of a sudden we started to feel that ‘we will not see them play since tomorrow!’ Similarly, I think MSD can play a few more matches next year and that’s why we all want him to play.”