Published 18:18 IST, July 13th 2020
MS Dhoni urged CSK to bid for me in IPL 2020 auction: Piyush Chawla
MS Dhoni-led CSK had previously tried to sign Piyush Chawla in the 2018 auction, but the spinner was retained by KKR after the use of the Right to Match card.
Former Kolkata Knight Riders KKR) spinner Piyush Chawala has recently revealed the reason behind three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) deciding to buy him during the IPL 2020 auctions. Despite having the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir in their side, Chennai surprised everyone by picking the leg spinner for ₹6.75 crore.
Piyush Chawla thanks MS Dhoni for his entry in CSK side
In a chat with Sportskeeda, Piyush Chawla revealed that it was CSK captain MS Dhoni who got him into the squad. He said that during a CSK camp in Chennai just before the start of IPL 2020 he had a discussion with MS Dhoni regarding cricket, and that is when he had asked Dhoni about his inclusion in CSK. MS Dhoni in his reply told him that it was his decision to bring him to CSK.
This wasn't the first time that CSK had decided to sign Piyush Chawla. Back in the 2018 auction, CSK made the winning bid worth ₹4.2 crore but they missed out on the spinner after Kolkata Knight Riders used their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain his services for the same price.
Piyush Chawla picks MS Dhoni over Gautam Gambhir
During an interaction with Aakash Chopra, Piyush Chawla said that he would pick MS Dhoni over former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir. Chawla said that he “can’t really compare the two captains” because “everyone has a different way” of approaching match situations.
Speaking about MS Dhoni, Piyush Chawla said that the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman would sometimes leave certain decisions up to the bowlers themselves. According to the leg-spinner, one cannot compare the likes of Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni because they have a few things in common. Chawla said if leaving certain decisions up to the bowlers doesn’t work out, then Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni sometimes “shift to plan B”.
CSK await MS Dhoni's return in IPL 2020
MS Dhoni is yet to take the field post India's semi-final exit from the 2019 World Cup and IPL 2020 presented a perfect opportunity for Indian cricket fans to watch the CSK skipper make a comeback on the field. The wait only got longer after the COVID-19 pandemic forced BCCI to postpone the tournament.
IPL 2020 is also considered as a crucial tournament for MS Dhoni's chances of making his comeback into the Team India setup. A good performance in IPL 2020 would give the CSK skipper a chance to stake a claim for a place in the Indian team for the T20 World Cup that is supposed to be played in Australia later this year. MS Dhoni has led CSK to three IPL titles making it the second most successful team in the tournament's history behind only Mumbai Indians.
(IMAGE: CSK / INSTAGRAM)
Updated 18:18 IST, July 13th 2020