‘Jaddu was not upset with Mahi Bhai’: Former CSK player reveals secret of rift between Jadeja and Dhoni during IPL 2022

It was widely reported that MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a falling out during the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Ambati Rayudu, a fellow CSK player, disputed these allegations in an interview with Behindwoods TV, claiming that the purported argument was nothing more than media rumours.

Former CSK player Ambati Rayudu has become the first cricketer to reveal the secret around the reports.

“Jaddu was not upset with Mahi Bhai at all. In 2022, he was unhappy because the team was not playing well. The performances were down and the team failed to reach the knockouts,” he said.

“What Jadeja has achieved in his career is because of MS Dhoni. So the CSK captain would be happy that the player he nurtured won the title for CSK in IPL 2023,” he added.

Before the IPL 2022 season began, Dhoni handed the captaincy to Jadeja, marking a big change in CSK's management style. The changeover did not go as well as expected, though. Due to the stress of serving as captain, Jadeja's performance suffered, and he decided to resign halfway through the season.

Despite this setback, Jadeja returned triumphantly for the IPL 2023, scoring the decisive runs to give CSK their sixth championship.

In a recent interview, Rayudu made it clear that Jadeja wasn't angry with MS Dhoni.

Jadeja's choice to take a vacation at the conclusion of the season following an alleged rib injury, he said, was motivated more by his need for a mental break from the team's poor performance than by any disagreement with Dhoni.