Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) winning the 2018 season of Indian Premier League (IPL) was one of the most memorable wins for them as the franchise won the T20 tournament after returning from a two-year ban due to corruption charges. Back then, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had defeated Kane Williamson-led Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to win IPL 2018 summit clash.
Meanwhile, former CSK player Shane Watson, currently taking part in Legends League Cricket (LLC) in Doha, recalled an incident when Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni got emotional after the team reunited ahead of IPL 2018 season.
“There was one moment when MS Dhoni got up and spoke at the first team function that we had. You could see how much it meant to him, he got emotional around how much it meant for him to CSK to get back together," Watson was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.
Watson said the time he spent with CSK was quite special for him.
“Then the first game against MI, Dwayne Bravo pulled the rabbit out of the hat, got us home out of nowhere. The belief of immediate. We got the team, we got the players, and we had good performances. The environment Dhoni and Stephen Fleming created.. you just went out and had fun. We never talked about results, (we were) just there to enjoy ourselves. We had a great bunch of players, with families there as well. For me, it was a special time,” said Watson.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Gujarat Titans (GT) match will be the first match to be played in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, on March 31. The franchise has already started its pre-season training camp. IPL 2023 will be played in its original away-and-home format this year. This year, MS Dhoni will most likely play the last IPL season of his career.