Sai Sudharsan, one of the most reliable batters in the Indian Premier League for the last couple of seasons, shared a moment with the legendary Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni.
In a latest video on YouTube, Sai revealed a brief conversation with the former India captain during an IPL 2024 match. Sudharsan smashed a century against the Chennai Super Kings for the Gujarat Titans, and he went to meet with MS Dhoni after the match.
MS Dhoni’s response to Sai Sudharsan was surprising
Young players’ meetings with the iconic players are not rare in the league. But what Dhoni said to Sai Sudharsan was unique. When the Gujarat Titans opener went to meet Dhoni, the veteran keeper-batter sarcastically asked why he wanted to talk with him, as Sudharsan was already in form at that moment.
The Gujarat Titans batter might have expected that kind of response from Dhoni, but he was quick to understand that the response from the former international cricketer was sarcastic.
“Once when I met MS Dhoni, he asked me, ‘Why have you come to see me? You are already playing well’. It was after I had scored a century against CSK. I wanted to meet Dhoni out of sheer happiness, but he sarcastically said, ‘Why do you want to talk to me as you are already playing so well?” Sai Sudharsan said in the YouTube video.
Wanting to play for CSK: Sai Sudharsan
The emerging batter mentions that from his childhood days, when he was only a student, he was dreaming of playing for the Chennai Super Kings. On the road to school and college, Sai Sudharsan often watched the passing CSK team bus.
As he is from Chennai, there is an automatic emotional attachment with the franchise, but as of now, he has played in the Indian Premier League only for the Gujarat Titans and has done relentlessly well. The 24-year-old has played for GT in all five of his IPL seasons from 2022 to 2026.
“I’ve thought many times about wanting to play for CSK. While going to school and college, the CSK bus used to pass me, and just seeing that used to give me ultimate happiness. And we used to go just behind the CSK bus,” the batter said via the same source.
In two consecutive seasons for the Gujarat Titans, the emerging top opener produced two 700-plus-run knocks. In IPL 2025, he scored 759 runs in 15 matches and as many innings, and in the 2026 season, he claimed 722 runs in 17 innings.
Sai Sudharsan impressed Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah with his batting
Before that, during the IPL 2024 season, the left-handed batter got 527 runs in 12 innings. Sudharsan stated that he got appraisals from some of the greats of the game like Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah for his batting.
Recalling an event, Sudharsan mentioned that last year, during the award-winning ceremony, Jasprit Bumrah patted the young batters on the back and encouraged him. This year, it was Virat Kohli who praised him after the final match.
“Last year, when I was at the award function at the end of the IPL, Jasprit Bumrah patted me on the back and said, ‘Great season’. That was a gratifying moment when the greatest player tells you this. 4. Likewise, this year, Virat Kohli said, ‘Yet another great season’ to me after the final. These moments help me understand that I am going in the right direction,” Sai Sudharsan said.
