Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan opens up about MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja’s rift during Indian Premier League 2023

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has stated that Ravindra Jadeja may have felt wounded because supporters wanted him to go so that MS Dhoni could take over for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. Jadeja was instrumental in CSK’s IPL title triumph this season, taking 20 wickets, his highest in a season in the league. However, the all-rounder had some awkward moments with the supporters, who openly said that they wanted him to go so that Dhoni could come in.

CSK supporters will remember this season for many years to come. However, this edition was also accompanied by speculations of a feud between Jadeja and CSK captain MS Dhoni, leading many fans to believe that everything was not well. Many rumours about a possible rift arose after a video from the CSK-Delhi Capitals match went viral, showing Dhoni and Jadeja chatting after the all-rounder leaked 50 runs in his four-over quota. Jadeja fueled the fire by posting a mysterious message on Twitter.

As far as Jadeja is concerned, he bowled superbly: Kasi Vishwanathan

Viswanathan promptly dismissed any allegations of a split between Dhoni and Jadeja in an interview with Cricinfo. The audience reaction, according to the CSK CEO, may have hurt the all-rounder. He said, “As far as Jadeja is concerned, he bowled superbly. While batting, our line-up of Ruturaj, Conway, Moeen, Rahane, with the results, whenever he [Jadeja] went in to bat, he had 5-10 balls left.”

“In such situations, it can or can’t click sometimes. But the thing is he also knew Dhoni was to come in next, and he himself would get just 2-3 balls sometimes. In such situations whenever he went in, the crowd used to welcome Dhoni. In a way, he may have felt hurt. Any player for that matter may have had that pressure. But he didn’t complain about it even though he put out a tweet.”

Viswanathan also downplayed Jadeja’s cryptic statements, claiming that CSK has no problem with the all-rounder because he has always admired Dhoni. He further added, “It’s all part and parcel of the game. After the last game, people saw videos online and assumed I’m pacifying Jadeja, but it wasn’t like that. I was talking to him about the match, what he did.”