Opinion Express View on CSK’s IPL win: A whistle for Dhoni

In the mild midnight drizzle, M S Dhoni waved his hand, as he strolled after Chennai Super Kings had won the IPL crown. And the crowd that engulfed the massive arena responded, forgetting loyalties and differences. In its 16 seasons, IPL has seen no better leader of men than Dhoni. Perhaps, no other cricketer has won as much unconditional love as he has — the figurehead of not just his incredibly successful team but the league itself. In the last few editions, his batting prowess has waned and his keeping skills have tapered off, yet the aura has remained undiminished. So much so that this triumph, as with the previous four, would be described as Dhoni’s captaincy coup.

Therein lies the beauty and paradox of CSK — the team is so much about Dhoni, yet it is more than Dhoni too. Dhoni is the proverbial glue that holds the team together, but there are significant, but almost anonymous, parts that make the team work. Like the immensely resourceful backroom staff, from the ever-composed Stephen Fleming to the batting virtuoso Mike Hussey and the master of death-overs craft Dwayne Bravo. Just as much as Dhoni, the team is shaped in the ideals of them too. Fleming was a captain who knew how to harness the best out of New Zealand team with hardly any sprinkle of stardust; Hussey was a classical Test batsmen, yet seamlessly blended T20 dynamics into his game; Bravo, the bowler, was not quick, but he showed that the lack of pace can be a gift in this format.

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The squad might not be flawless, there are imperfections. On paper, Gujarat Titans were a vastly superior unit. But CSK have the winning habit of champions — a knack of producing tournament-defining moments, an unflinching self-belief and an unreal calm under duress. The romantics of the game would lazily call it magic. That would, however, be devaluing their courage and gumption, the fierce hunger and commitment to mask insufficiencies and win trophies, and their gift of seeing a ray of light in shrouding darkness.