MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo remain the best of friends, even as the former West Indies all-rounder decided to join the rival franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as their bowling coach ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Dhoni and Bravo spent many seasons alongside each other over the years playing for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But, as Dhoni gears up for his captaincy return with the Chennai franchise, Bravo will be trying his best to nullify the threat the 'Thala' and his team possess against the Knight Riders.
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As Dhoni spotted Bravo walking towards him in a nets session, on the eve of the CSK vs KKR clash, he jokingly called the West Indian a 'traitor', before their reunion left fans in awe.
Bravo had two stints with CSK in the IPL, first from 2011 to 2015 and then from 2018 to 2022. He even served as the franchise's bowling coach for the IPL 2023 and 2024 seasons before joining the Knight Riders.
As for CSK, their primary skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been replaced by MS Dhoni after a fracture to his elbow ruled him out for the rest of the season, with the veteran wicketkeeper-batter taking over as the leader again.
CSK will hope Dhoni's return at the helm brings them luck as the five-time winners try to overcome a string of defeats.
Heading into the critical game, in which a loss could spell more trouble for CSK, the home team is taking some solace from the batters' impressive show in the last match against Punjab Kings, which they lost by 18 runs after being set a stiff target of 219 in Mullanpur.
CSK are now hoping for a change in fortune at Chepauk, which has so far this season not afforded them the advantage it has been know to give in the past, something that has also forced longtime coach Stephen Fleming to express his frustration after a massive loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru some days back.
CSK did not enjoy home advantage at Chepauk, which has been a significant factor in their previous success. The pitch has changed significantly, making it harder for them to read and adapt to.
With PTI inputs