Where it comes to the great Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the testing waters of the IPL, then it can be said that not an awful lot has changed for - and about the- great man ever since the inception of the famous franchise based T20 league in India. You may have heard the phrase, once a legend, always a legend! And perhaps few other cricketers are truly deserving for the distinct adage of respect or garland of regard other than the great champion Dhoni. But here’s the interesting bit about the famous and iconic former member of the Indian team and a multiple World Cup-winning captain.
While many are simply in awe and very much star struck by Dhoni becuse of his fame and the big success he’s amassed, which also includes the glittery of plush earnings that lead to a great lifestyle, the true fans and the true athletes who follow him are passionate about his success story rather the elements that led to it.
The key instincts for the game, the passion for hardwork and the ability to play calm under pressure; big attributes that ultimately played a decisive role in shaping up Dhoni’s journey in the way things turned out for the great man from Ranchi, Jharkhand.
And it appears that a talented cricketer, who still has quite a few years left in him, does see the actual side of Dhoni that led to the former Indian cricketer’s great success. That man is the 32-year-old cricketer from Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan - Kulwant Khejroliya.
Rising all the time
It was back in the year 2021, just a year after peak covid devastation where the left arm bowler from Rajathan actually replaced the then injured spinner Manimaran Siddharth for the Delhi Capitals side; formerly Delhi Daredevils.
And then a few years later, Khejroliya also created waves in the domestic Ranji trophy tournament where his sensational four wickets in as many balls thanks to a brilliant spell of medium pace bowling did wonders for Madhya Pradesh. By this time, he had already represented the Kolkata Knight Riders side. This was a spell that took Baroda by surprise.
And this time around when speaking recently to famous cricket platform Sports Yaari when asked about his future IPL plans, then the simple natured cricketer revealed that admiration for MS Dhoni by sharing, “if Dhoni plays for CSK, I’d like to play for the Chennai team!”
Still a big draw in the game
It ought to be noted that the former captain of the Chennai side, an all time legend of the IPL franchise didn’t play a game this time around in 2026 due to a long standing injury but his ability to still inspire cricketers from around the country is second to none!
