Piyush Chawala (far left) with MS Dhoni (centre) and Suresh Raina in a file photo.
Left with a depleted side after veterans Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh left the squad before the first ball was bowled in the IPL 2020 season, the franchise now must be hoping that their remaining indigenous players will click in their absence.
This could hugely benefit someone like Piyush Chawla, who was bought for a hefty prize of Rs 6.75 crore at last year’s auction.
This will be nothing less than a reunion for the former Kolkata Knight Riders star, who played under the captaincy of MS Dhoni in the Team India set up in the past. Chawla himself admitted that he is excited to play under Dhoni, who the 31-year-old spinner feels is the best skipper in the business.
"Koi bhi leg spinner ko chahiye ke unko accha captain mile (Any leg spinner would want a good captain). I am getting Dhoni bhai, world's best captain, aur kyaa chahiye (what more do you want)?" an elated Chawala told Firstpost.
The leg spinner said he enjoyed a lot of freedom under his former captain and retired cricketer Gautam Gambhir in KKR and added that it will be the same with MSD while further praising his ability to read the game.
"It's always the same with Dhoni bhai as well. He gives freedom to the bowler, whatever you feel, go with it. He is always helping you out. And when he feels, this kind of thing might happen, then he gives suggestions to the bowler that let's do this. Whenever he thought that the bowler would need something in the game, he would advise from behind the wickets. So that is a very big help," he added.
When Chawla, who last played under Dhoni in eight years ago for the Men in Blue, was asked he has been a lucky charm for the CSK skipper during his international cricket days as the spinner was part of both the squad that won 2007 World T20 and 2011 World Cup, he said he believes in hard work and not luck.
"It's not about lucky charm, because I wasn't the only one who was in the 2007 and 2011 WC squad both. There were eight more players. So it's not that's it's happened because of me alone. It's just about how much cricket you play, how hard you work, it depends on that,” Chawla said.
