IPL 2022: MS Dhoni's Leadership Wouldn't Have Made Much Of A Difference: Harbhajan Singh

Former India cricketer and CSK player Harbhajan Singh said that even if Dhoni had stayed captain throughout the campaign, CSK would not have gone to the playoffs.

When Dhoni took over as captain earlier this month, CSK still had a chance to make the playoffs, but Chennai’s slump persisted, and they are now in ninth place in the table with four wins in 13 games.

In the ongoing 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), defending winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been already eliminated from the playoff chase after losing to Gujarat Titans last week for the eighth time this season.

Despite MS Dhoni’s return as captain of Chennai Super Kings, the four-time IPL champions missed the playoffs for the second time in the tournament’s history.

Before the start of the season, CSK chose Ravindra Jadeja as their new captain, after Dhoni decided to step down. However, a string of losses along with his deteriorating form forced Jadeja to relinquish the captaincy to Dhoni.

‘They would not have qualified since they lacked the proper team’: Harbhajan Singh

In an interview with Sportskeeda, former India cricketer and CSK player Harbhajan Singh confessed that even if Dhoni had stayed captain throughout the campaign, CSK would have failed to make the playoffs.

“Had Dhoni remained captain of the club, CSK would have benefited and would have sat higher in the points standings, but they would still not have qualified because they lack the team.

“They lack a good bowling squad. Deepak Chahar, a wicket-taker, sustained an injury. Not even the hitters played well,” he remarked.

Harbhajan Singh, on the other hand, believes that if clubs had been granted home-field advantage this season, Chennai would have made the playoffs.

“It would have been a game-changer. Even with this team, Chennai might have reached the playoffs. Because they play different roles when they are at home. In-home conditions, Delhi and Mumbai have also performed well,” he remarked.

CSK have won 40 of their 56 IPL games at the MA Chidambaram Stadium since 2008, assuming a win-loss ratio of 2.6, the best of any IPL team.

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