Former Chennai Super Kings player Sam Billings recently shared fascinating details regarding MS Dhoni and his off-field lifestyle. Speaking about his experience of sharing a dressing room with the veteran wicketkeeper, Sam Billings highlighted his calm demeanor during the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Billings played for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL for two seasons, 2018 and 2019. The England cricketer played 10 matches in the 2018 season but featured in only one game in the next season. Overall, he scored 478 runs in 33 innings at an average of 17.07 and a strike rate of 129.90, including two half-centuries.
He Has a Guy Just to Manage the Shisha – Sam Billings on MS Dhoni
Speaking on The Overlap Cricket, Sam Billings expressed deep admiration for MS Dhoni. He noted that the veteran captain remains grounded and maintains a welcoming environment for all his teammates. Billings revealed that the former Indian captain travels with personal hookah equipment and keeps a guy to manage it.
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“Dhoni – I think just in terms of his captaincy and his aura – he’s fantastic. He’s incredibly calm and genuinely cool. You don’t meet many truly cool people these days, but he is one of them.”
“What a lovely guy, especially considering how much stardom he has and what a superstar he is. His room is always open, and he even has a little shisha setup. There’s a guy in his entourage whose sole job is to look after the shisha bar.”
Chennai Super Kings Prepare for a Solid Comeback
The Chennai Super Kings endured a forgettable IPL 2025 season. They finished at the bottom of the points table, securing just four wins from 14 matches. MS Dhoni assumed the leadership responsibilities mid-season after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out after only five games.
The franchise management made an offseason trade with the Rajasthan Royals. The team acquired Sanju Samson while trading Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to RR. They also retained several mid-season signings from last year, including Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis.
Alongside MS Dhoni and Sanju Samson, the five-time champions have three additional wicketkeepers. Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan, and Kartik Sharma can keep stumps. The squad will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against the Royals at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.
IPL 2026 Could Mark the End of MS Dhoni’s T20 Career
Many cricket experts believe the IPL 2026 season could mark the end of MS Dhoni’s professional T20 career, although his availability for the entire tournament remains uncertain. Last season, the 44-year-old scored 196 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17.
Dhoni holds the record for the most IPL appearances, having played 278 matches. He has scored 5,439 runs in 242 innings at an average of 38.30 and a strike rate of 137.45, including 24 fifties, with a highest score of an unbeaten 87.
For Chennai Super Kings, he has featured in 248 matches and remains the franchise’s leading run-scorer. He has amassed 4,865 runs in 215 innings at an average of 39.23 and a strike rate of 139.11, including 22 fifties, 342 fours, and 234 sixes.
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