“A player changes completely when he plays with MS Dhoni—how does that happen?”

The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are renowned for producing players who go on to achieve greatness on the international stage. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a legend of the CSK, is largely responsible for this change, as he has unwavering faith in the future of the team’s players, even those who weren’t performing well before joining the Chennai franchise.
Shivam Dube and Sameer Rizvi, who are emerging in the current IPL season, are two of the most recent instances of that movement.

Dube spent the 2019 and 2020 seasons with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru before joining the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. He played with the Royals for a season before moving on to CSK in 2022, where he was kept on for another season.
When Dube was assigned to take on the opposing spinners in 2023, he found his groove and performed well, which contributed to CSK’s fifth championship victory last year.

As Dube carries on with his success in the current campaign, Sameer Rizvi is also benefiting from his franchise and Dhoni’s belief in his finishing abilities.
“Without opportunity, talent is nothing. Children must be given opportunities. Offering opportunities and having the player accept challenges are two different things. Sidhu said, “You have to give Rizvi that confidence,” during an appearance on a Star Sports programme.

“The guy doesn’t have much strength on the other team, but when he plays with Dhoni, he transforms into a whole different player. How does it happen? The former India opener remarked, “Because a good leader is the one who walks behind him and ignites faith.”
With two victories and one loss in their last three games, CSK is now ranked third in the IPL 2024 points standings.