Former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden believes MS Dhoni to be the Most Valuable Player of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2021 season so far and said that Dhoni is still rising to the challenge at his age. The Chennai Super Kings captain has not had a great season with the bat.
Dhoni is currently in the 8th in the list of CSK's top scorers this season with just 52 runs in 10 games (7 innings). The right-handed batsman has decided to bat lower down the order at no. 7 or no. 8, which has resulted in him not even getting to bat at times in an innings.
Still, Hayden believes Dhoni's captaincy has helped CSK climbed to the top position in the IPL 2021 Points Table which is why he regards him as the season's MVP.
"Most valuable player, even though he hasn't had the best of tournaments so far, is still MS Dhoni. As a leader of the side, he is absolutely rising to the challenge. He is older obviously but he has got the reigns and he is cracking them hard and his side is responding," Hayden said on Star Sports' Super Kings show.
{{/usCountry}}"Most valuable player, even though he hasn't had the best of tournaments so far, is still MS Dhoni. As a leader of the side, he is absolutely rising to the challenge. He is older obviously but he has got the reigns and he is cracking them hard and his side is responding," Hayden said on Star Sports' Super Kings show.
{{/usCountry}}"Guys like DJ Bravo, for example, that are making their impact on this tournament albeit in a way that's small but each component of the team is playing in unison," Matthew Hayden added.
"MS Dhoni when the IPL was first conceived, had a very strong younger side. He has got it now because of the strategies of having you know the loyalty amongst their selection. He's got an older side but what we have seen in MS's style is that he has still promoted the best out of guys like DJ Bravo, for example Faf du Plessis and others that are having a magnificent tournament," Hayden said.
"So for me, his style is again and the greats do this, they shift and alter gears according to how their assets lie," he concluded.