‘MS Dhoni would always sit with the juniors’ - Deepak Chahar extols team culture at Chennai Super Kings

Ahead of the all-important final of IPL 2023 against Gujarat Titans on May 28, Deepak Chahar opened up on why Chennai Super Kings is such a special franchise. Notably, under the leadership of MS Dhoni, the franchise has qualified for its tenth final in the competition and is on the verge of winning its fifth title - joint-most with Mumbai Indians.

Ahead of that, Deepak Chahar opened up about the team environment and stated that everyone in the team has the liberty to do what they want and that’s what makes CSK a successful franchise. The 30-year-old also mentioned MS Dhoni’s role that plays a crucial role in helping the juniors gel well with the rest of the team.

“The ambience is different. Like, everything is optional here. No one will say anything to you. No one will say ‘you go to practice or you go to the gym’. You are a professional cricketer. It’s your responsibility to see what’s best for you. You can practice if you want. Or do it tomorrow or don’t do it at all. You can rest if you want.

"However, you will have to perform on the ground. Everybody knows that. Nobody will blame you even if you lose the match. Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni) doesn’t say anything either. There is no pressure on anyone,” Chahar stated in the eighth season of Breakfast with Champions.

“The second reason is Mahi bhai. When I joined the CSK team, I noticed that during the team dinner, people are sitting in two-three tables. One was occupied by seniors, the overseas player had the other one and then there are juniors. The new players often hesitate to speak. Mahi bhai would always sit with juniors. That’s fixed,” Chahar added.

Notably, after a poor start in the ongoing season, Chahar has slowly gained momentum and has picked up 12 wickets in nine matches so far. For CSK to win the final, the pacer will have to step up, just like he did in Qualifier 1.