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When MS Dhoni Made CSK Change Hotel For Not Allowing Ambati Rayudu’s Home-Cooked Biryani

Aakash Saini

image-llw37eynMS Dhoni leading CSK players off the field (IPLT20.COM)

MS Dhoni, known for his calm presence on and off the field, was once so irked by a hotel that he made the entire Chennai Super Kings (CSK) staff to shift to a different accommodation.

The incident occurred on the eve of CSK’s 2014 Champions League Twenty20 match against the Kolkata Knight Riders in Hyderabad. While the two sides were set to clash at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in a Group A game on September 17, both team managements resided at ITC Kakatiya hotel in the city.

According to some claims, MS Dhoni made the hasty decision because the hotel was not allowing his CSK troops to eat Ambati Rayudu’s home-cooked biryani in its board room.

When MS Dhoni changed CSK’s team hotel

Ambati Rayudu, who made his international debut in 2013 under MS Dhoni’s leadership, decided to play hosts to CSK at the ITC Kakatiya hotel in Hyderabad during 2014 Champions League Twenty20. Part of the Mumbai Indians franchise at the time, Rayudu greeted the CSK troops with his home-cooked biryani.

According to some rumours, the hotel management did not allowed MS Dhoni and co. to eat outside food in the board room. The decision, if unconfirmed reports are to be believed, did not went down well the CSK skipper and he made the entire team management shift to Taj Krishna hotel instead.

The reports further state that ITC Kakatiya hotel did allow players to eat in their own rooms, but Dhoni was unwilling to accept the initial refusal.

One confirmed aspect about the matter is that the then-Mumbai Indians player Ambati Rayudu was roped in by the CSK management in 2018, where he went on to become one of the legends of the franchise.

Under MS Dhoni’s leadership, the team won the title thrice during Rayudu’s presence, including the 2023 edition.

Dhoni himself is one of the all-time IPL greats, and the most successfully skipper in the history of the tournament.