"That has been his greatest asset as well" - Former CSK star's huge take on why there won't be another MS Dhoni-like captain

Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Ambati Rayudu has made a massive remark on MS Dhoni's captaincy as the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) looms. Rayudu reckons there will never be a captain like Dhoni, given how the legendary keeper-batter takes decision based on his instincts instead of data.

Having led the Super Kings to five titles since the inaugural IPL season in 2008, the Ranchi-born cricketer is the joint-most successful skipper in the tournament history. He is also the most-capped captain in IPL history, skippering in 136 games and winning 97 of them.

When asked during an interview with ESPNCricinfo's Cricket Monthly earlier during the IPL this year as to whether captains need to rely more on data in the future, the 40-year-old stated:

"Dhoni-type captain I don't think will happen in this era of cricket at least, because people want so much more stats. That's not wrong, because it is also giving you a lot of information. But MS Dhoni was quite unique. And that is the reason why he was very unpredictable, because he would never do something that the stats say. And that has been his greatest asset as well."

The 44-year-old had stepped down from captaincy ahead of IPL 2022 as Ravindra Jadeja was handed over the responsibility. However, the veteran returned as the captain due to poor results under the Saurashtra all-rounder. He took the reins again in 2025 due to Ruturaj Gaikwad suffering an elbow injury.

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"There were a lot of times that MS Dhoni used to tell me, 'I will take the bowlers on, you play till the end'" - Ambati Rayudu

Ambati Rayudu played six seasons of the IPL for CSK. (Image Credits: Getty)

Rayudu went on to reveal that he enjoyed his partnership with the CSK legend due to Dhoni helping him get into his innings and play freely, adding:

"There were a lot of times that MS Dhoni used to tell me, "I will take the bowlers on, you play [within yourself] till the end so that you can hit the fast bowlers, you can use the pace." And even with Pollard that used to happen. We used to run a lot [between wickets]. And he also used to help me, because for me, I don't like playing a lot of dot balls. I'm not a big six-hitter like him, so I had to get myself going. So he used to run."

The Super Kings created an unwanted record in IPL 2025, finishing at the bottom of the points table for the first time. They made waves during the recent IPL 2026 Auction, however, pivoting towards youth and splurging on uncapped talents Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer.