Former South Africa captain and Chennai Super Kings’ batting specialists, Faf du Plessis, praised MS Dhoni’s leadership in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Du Plessis, who has been part of the India-based franchise T20 tournament since 2011, revealed that Dhoni’s absence has always left a gaping hole in the CSK team. “MS walks off the field. Chennai is a different team. He has got such strong leadership in the group,” said Du Plessis when talking in an Instagram live session with CSK. Dhoni has been part of the CSK franchise since its inception and has led the team to eight IPL finals while also winning three. IPL 2020: MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma Named Greatest Indian Premier League Captains of All-Time.

“When MS is not there, the team is not the same. He leaves a massive hole when is he not in the team.” Du Plessis added. The 35-year-old also opened up on his experience of playing under a different captain when he himself was the captain of a national team. You help out the captain a little bit on the day but there is one captain in the field, the 35-year-old said when talking about the CSK set-up. IPL's Opening Night Changed My Life Forever, Says Brendon McCullum.

“There is one captain in the team so you understand what is your value. I personally, on-field make sure the position of fielders. You help out a little bit to the captain on the day. For guys who want to run the show every time, those people struggle to play under a captain,” he said. He has been part of two victorious IPL campaigns with CSK, which includes the 2018 title when CSK made a return following a two-year ban.

He also spoke on how the IPL has become an integral part of his cricketing career. “There are more serious thing in life than sports I get it, but for us players and fans, IPL has become such an integral part of our season,” said the South African. “Every year you know, for the last 10 years, I have been involved with IPL. It has become a huge part of my life. We love to play. It is the pinnacle of playing with different players. The difference with IPL is that you get to play with so many players that you play against all the time and make some new friendships,” he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 18, 2020 10:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).