Sanjay Manjerekar hails Dhoni's leadership, says his form is crucial for CSK

Indian commentator Sanjay Manjrekar has asserted that Mahendra Singh Dhoni's form would be crucial for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. The former India skipper has been out of the game since the World Cup semi-final against New Zealand, earlier this year. Speaking at a cricket show, Manjrekar stated that Chennai Super Kings is always a team, who performs brilliantly in the tournament compared to the rest. Furthermore, he said that the upcoming IPL would be a massive tournament for the team if MS Dhoni returns with his tremendous form.

“CSK have always had senior players in their squad, they have Faf Du Plessis and Shane Watson at the top, they have got players like Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina at the middle, so a backup middle-order batsman would be a good idea for them,” said Manjrekar.

Further lauding Dhoni's leadership, Manjrekar said, “Dhoni loves to take these chances with ageing players, his leadership eventually makes a difference, and if he can replicate last season’s performance, it would be great for the team.” Manjrekar then ideated a strategy for CSK and stated that picking up a reliable Indian middle-order batsman will be a good move for CSK in the auction.

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MSD sweats it out in the nets

Dhoni was seen training with Jharkhand's under-23 team in Ranchi few days back, triggering a fresh round of speculation about a possible comeback. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly earlier stated that Dhoni would get the respect that a player of his stature deserves and had ruled out an immediate retirement by the celebrated wicketkeeper-batsman. "You know champions don't finish quickly," he had stated when he took over as the Board President last month.

One of the biggest names in Indian cricket, Dhoni led India to two world titles -- the 2007 World T20 in South Africa and the 2011 ODI World Cup at home.

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(With inputs from agencies)