IPL 2022: Dhoni taking CSK leadership decisions instead of Jadeja irks ex-Indian stars

It was yet another nail-biting contest at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, which saw the Lucknow Super Giants secure an emphatic six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Mumbai. While the KL Rahul-led side has opened their win account in the 15th edition of the T20 league, the defending champions Chennai are still searching for their first win under newly-appointed skipper Ravindra Jadeja.

MS Dhoni handed over the leadership baton to the all-rounder just two days before the start of the season. However, former Indian cricketers believe that the CSK icon is still controlling captaincy decisions, and it was evident during their match at the Brabourne Stadium on Thursday.

Thanks to a blitzkrieg from Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube and Dhoni towards the end, Chennai posted a mammoth score of 210/7 in 20 overs. However, the LSG, riding on Evin Lewis' quickfire 55* off just 23 deliveries, registered a six-wicket win with three balls to spare. Chennai's move to hand over the ball to Shivam Dube in the 19th over of the innings proved costly for the side, as the all-rounder conceded 25 runs in the over.

Also read: IPL 2022: 10 talking points from LSG's thrilling 6-wicket win over CSK

Following the game, former Indian cricketer Ajay Jadeja insisted that Dhoni was calling the shots in the game against Lucknow instead of Ravindra Jadeja. "It is wrong. There is no doubt about that. See, there is a no bigger fan of Dhoni than I am, and that's because of his temperament. If this was the last match of the group where there was a do-or-die situation in terms of qualification, then I could've probably understood that you would want to take over the reins because it is an important phase. But if it happens only in the second match of the season.." Jadeja voiced his opinion on Cricbuzz.

"See, I'm not saying this because it's Ravindra Jadeja. But even as a cricket fan, it looked a little odd. He (Jadeja) was standing right there, and you continued to run the whole game. See, Dhoni is a very big player, and I don't like saying it out loud. But I didn't like what I saw today," the former cricketer added.

Further talking about the moment, the former Indian cricketer believes it might have dragged Jadeja back in terms of his confidence. 

"There hasn't been a captain like Dhoni, nor there will be. But it was his decision to step down as CSK captain, and today, instead of pushing him (Jadeja) forward, you have actually dragged him back. His confidence is dented. He wasn't in the game at all," said Ajay Jadeja.

"I'm not criticising the decisions. I'm being critical of the way he (Dhoni) took over. We noticed Dhoni speaking during the team meeting. There's no doubt Dhoni understands the game better, and even CSK fans would be urging him to take over the captaincy again. But I have no doubt that he was wrong in taking over today. If Jadeja was even beginning to feel confident about his captaincy, he wouldn't know."

Also read: IPL 2022, CSK vs LSG: Bravo breaks Malinga's record to become IPL's highest wicket-taker

Parthiv Patel, who is also on the panel on the portal, felt that if Jadeja had been made CSK's captain, he should be given a free hand, even if he makes mistakes. "If you have to develop someone, you have to leave them. He will only become a captain if he is allowed to lead. He will learn only when he makes mistakes," Patel opined.

When Dhoni decided to step down as CSK skipper, several experts believed it was a great move to hand over the captaincy reign to someone like Jadeja while the icon is still around to mentor and groom the all-rounder. However, two games into the season and the captaincy appears a little murky, with Dhoni seemingly still in charge of making decisions on the field. Only time will tell if these dynamics will prove costly for the defending champions.

• IPL 2022
• Chennai Super Kings
• Lucknow Super Giants
• MS Dhoni
• Ravindra Jadeja