Ex-India opener Murali Vijay heaped massive praise on MS Dhoni as the cricketing icon gears up for another campaign with Chennai Super Kings. With the IPL 2026 auction approaching, Vijay applauded CSK’s call to retain the legendary skipper for another season.

Having played extensively for both India and CSK, Murali described Dhoni as a captain like no other, who is calm and courageous in decision-making. He recalled the bold decision to use Joginder Sharma in the last over of the 2007 T20 World Cup final as evidence of Dhoni’s exceptional clarity. Vijay said he is proud that Dhoni is an Indian icon.

“Dhoni is a once-in-a-generation cricketer, completely natural and incredibly unique. What he does on the field cannot simply be copied. His strength, the way he has controlled games, and the sheer power behind those sixes as a right-hander are something very few possess. In that 2007 final, giving the last over to Joginder Sharma might not have looked logical, especially with Harbhajan Singh still having an over, but that bold move won us the World Cup. We all should be proud that he was born in our country,” Vijay said on Taruwar Kohli’s YouTube channel.

Vijay pointed to CSK’s remarkable consistency and credited Dhoni’s clear-cut approach. He mentioned that Dhoni was always spot-on with what he wanted from his players, assigning roles with no room for confusion.

“MS assigned us simple and defined roles. For me, it was about scoring runs or else I’d be out of the XI. Playing alongside legends like Matthew Hayden and Muttiah Muralitharan was a huge opportunity and a lot of fun. Dhoni always kept things straightforward. He knew exactly what he wanted and communicated it clearly. Being part of that team was an incredible experience.”

CSK stand tall among the IPL’s franchises with five championship trophies. Vijay was part of the golden era, lifting the title in both 2010 and 2011. His fiery 95 off 52 balls in the 2011 summit clash remains one of the standout knocks.