Playing Under My Idol MS Dhoni, Is A Dream Come True - Krishnappa Gowtham

Apart from bagging a hefty sum of Rs. 9.25 crore in the IPL 2021 Auction, Krishnappa Gowtham is going to relish his another dream of playing under MS Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings in the upcoming 14th edition of the tournament.

CSK will be the fourth franchise Gowtham is part of, after Mumbai Indians in 2017 – he didn’t play a game for MI – then Rajasthan Royals in 2018 and 2019, followed by trade to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) for IPL 2020. The Karnataka all-rounder played just a couple of games last season –  scoring 42 runs at a strike rate of 155 and picking 1 wicket at an economy of 10 – for KL Rahul’s side and was offloaded.

The off-spinning all-rounder became the costliest uncapped player in the history of IPL when CSK went after him in the auction – Chennai also roped in Moeen Ali, another spin bowling all-rounder after releasing the likes of Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla.

Always wanted to be a part of the unit which Dhoni leads: Krishnappa Gowtham

Krishnappa Gowtham says that he has learned a lot from his former IPL captains – Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul – but now, is eager to play under his idol and former India skipper, MS Dhoni.

“I have played under Ajinkya Rahane at RR and KL Rahul at KXIP [now Punjab Kings]. Both are wonderful captains. Now, I am really excited to play under Mahi bhai. It’s a dream come true for me. I always wanted to be a part of the unit which he [Dhoni] leads. He has won World Cups for India and has three IPL titles too. I can’t wait to play under Dhoni bhai,” Krishnappa Gowtham told Times of India.

The 32-year-old reveals an incident when he met the CSK skipper last season and asked him to sign a mini bat; Dhoni also answered a few of Gowtham’s queries.

“Last year I was playing with RR and managed to meet him [Dhoni] and got a mini bat signed. I also spoke with him for a few minutes and asked him a couple of questions regarding cricket and he answered them so nicely. He is a legend of the game. I am really excited to meet my idol and play under him,” he added.

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