MS Dhoni has been synonymous with Chennai team since the inception of the Indian T20 League in 2008. Dhoni was a full-time skipper of the team from 2008 to 2021. In this period, he led the team to four titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. Notably, in seasons 2016 and 2017, he played for now-defunct Pune as the Yellow Brigade was suspended on the charges of spot-fixing and betting.
The team was inducted back in the league ahead of the 2018 season. Reminiscing about the season, former Australia and Chennai cricketer Michael Hussey reveals that MS Dhoni got extremely emotional after he donned back the yellow of Chennai.
“I think there’s not one particular memory but we see these championship-winning photos on the wall… I think probably the 2018 season. We were out of the competition for two years. We came back and I remember MS giving a speech right at the start of the season,†Hussey told former Australian opener Matthew Hayden in a ‘Super Reunion’ video shared by Chennai on their official YouTube channel
The Aussie revealed that he felt something special was going to happen for the team after Dhoni’s emotional moment. The tournament turned out to be indeed special for the Men in Yellow as they went on to win their third Indian T20 League title. “He actually started tearing; tears were coming out of his eyes and I remember thinking, ‘Something special is happening here’,†he added.
The current batting coach of the team further added that remembering the 2018 season gives the team goosebumps. “That was a special season. It gives you goosebumps just thinking about what happened that year. It was almost like it was meant to be after coming back to the IPL. MS played unbelievably well throughout the season. It was just a special time,†he stated further. Talking about the current season, the team has lost seven games and have been crashed out the playoffs race.
