We will win as a gift: Jadeja on Dhoni leading CSK for 200th time

CHENNAI: Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja praised skipper MS Dhoni, who will be leading the side for 200th time in the league, and expressed hope that the team will give him a gift on this special milestone in the form of a win at the home ground of the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Legendary India wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni will be leading CSK for the 200th time in the IPL when he takes the field against RR.

"What can I say, he is a legend of Indian cricket. So, I would like to wish him good luck. Hopefully, in his 200th game, we will win in Chepauk and all the fans will be happy, so that we continue the momentum. Hopefully, we win tomorrow and we give him a gift on his 200th (IPL) match as captain," said Jadeja as quoted by the team's official website in a media interaction ahead of the match.

MS Dhoni is the most consistent skipper in IPL history. He has led CSK to four IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 editions). Though Mumbai Indians (MI) have won five IPL trophies, MS-led CSK enjoys the advantage of consistency.

He has led CSK to the final four stage of the tournament in 11 out of 13 editions of the league, with the side finishing as runners-up on five occasions.

Dhoni has captained on 213 occasions in IPL, out of which he has won 125 matches, lost 87 and one match failed to produce a result. His win percentage of 58.96 makes him one of the most successful IPL captains in the long-term.

He also has had a one-season stint as skipper with Rising Pune Supergiant, a side that existed temporarily in IPL from 2016 to 2017. He could win only five matches and lost nine out of 14 during the 2016 season with the franchise, finishing seventh on the points table.

He has led CSK in 199 matches out of 213 so far, having won 120, lost 78 and one failed to produce a result. His win percentage with CSK as skipper is 60.30 per cent.

Dhoni is also a highly-accomplished batter in IPL, having scored 5,004 runs in league history at an average of 39.09 and a strike rate of over 135. He has scored 24 half-centuries in his IPL career, with a best of 84*. This occasion will be no doubt special for Dhoni, who is most likely playing his last IPL season, currently at 41 years of age.

His side has enough star power to make this occasion a memorable one for the Indian legend with their performances. CSK is in the fifth position in the points table with two wins and a loss in three matches and a total of four points.

RR is in the second position with the same win-loss record as CSK, but their superior net run rate gives them a higher place in the table.

Chennai Super Kings Squad: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwaine Pretorius, Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Sisanda Magala, Tushar Deshpande, Ambati Rayudu, Akash Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, RS Hangargekar, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, Bhagath Varma, Nishant Sindhu.

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, Murugan Ashwin, Navdeep Saini, Akash Vasisht, KM Asif, Donavon Ferreira, Joe Root, Adam Zampa, KC Cariappa, Obed McCoy, Devdutt Padikkal, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Abdul Basith, Kunal Singh Rathore.