The defending champion Chennai Super Kings have started the IPL 2024 in grand fashion. They have registered wins in both of their opening games and are sitting at the top of the points table. CSK won their second game last night against Gujarat Titans at Chepauk Stadium.
They thrashed GT by 63 runs while defending a big total of 207 runs. The star of the show was all-rounder Shivam Dube. He hit a 22-ball fifty and scored 51 off 23 balls with five sixes and two fours. He also won the MOTM award for his half-century.
Later, in the post-match presentation, Dube said that he has the license to play freely from the captain and management. And it does show in his numbers. Dube made his debut in 2019 for RCB. He played two seasons for them and scored 169 runs in 15 games with no half-centuries.
But since he joined CSK, he has become a dangerous batter. Dube has played 29 matches for CSK and has scored 792 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 158.4 with six half-centuries. So what has changed for him, and why couldn’t he perform for RCB? IPL legend AB de Villiers highlights the main difference.
In a discussion on Jio Cinema, De Villiers said that Dube never felt comfortable in the RCB dressing room. He said, “Shivam Dube never really broke free with RCB. He was a shy guy who worked really hard and asked a lot of questions back in the day. I think, he did a bit of learning there but never felt comfortable.”
De Villiers also highlighted that Dhoni, Gaikwad, and Fleming give freedom to the players, which is why even a non-performer goes to perform for them. That’s what the Southpaw also admitted in the post-match presentation. He said that CSK is different from other teams, and they always let the players express themselves.
