‘He can make that difference for CSK’ - Sunil Gavaskar wants MS Dhoni to promote himself up in batting order in forthcoming IPL clash

MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set to square off against Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, April 12. Ahead of the crucial encounter, former India cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar opined on the skipper to promote himself up the batting order so as to get the ‘big runs’.

Notably, Dhoni and Co. have arrived at their Chepauk fortress on the back of two consecutive wins in the ongoing IPL 2023 season. The skipper has batted twice in three occasions and shown glimpses of his explosive batting prowess.

In the first match against Gujarat, the batter remained unbeaten with 14 runs off seven balls which included one maximum and a boundary. In the following game against LSG, Dhoni got a mere three balls and hammered two sixes in the first two deliveries. On that note, Sunil Gavaskar expressed that the 41-year-old promoting himself up the order would only help the franchise get the big runs. 

"I am hoping MS Dhoni promotes himself higher in the batting order. So that he gets to play more than two or three overs in the games. He can make that difference for CSK with his batting because he is capable of scoring big runs,” Gavaskar said in a show while speaking on Star Sports. 

MS Dhoni to script historic milestone in IPL 2023

The legendary CSK keeper-batter is on the verge of engraving his name in the history of the top-tier league. Impressively, Dhoni is set to lead the Yellow-outfit, for a record 200^th time, which is the most by any player in the history of the league. He has captained on 213 occasions in the IPL (CSK and Rising Pune Supergiants), of which he has won 125 games and lost 87 times with one no result.

While there are speculations on the 16^th edition being Dhoni’s last season, former India and CSK teammate, Harbhajan Singh provided his take on the love affair between the franchise and the skipper.

"Dhoni was born in Ranchi, lives there as well but lives in the hearts of the people of Chennai. Will he play in IPL again after this season or not, it will be known at a later date, but Mahi's return to this field is no less than a love story in itself,” told Harbhajan on Star Sports.