‘MS Dhoni knows stats of each domestic player from Jharkhand, we have always taken his advice’ – JSCA joint secretary Shahbaz Nadeem

MS Dhoni has been working behind the scenes to develop the state cricket in Jharkhand. He may not have a post in the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) as yet, but the board has sought his help whenever necessary.

JSCA joint secretary Shahbaz Nadeem revealed that since the start of the 2025-2026 season, the board has taken advice and suggestions from the former India captain. The ex-India left-arm spinner also said that the Chennai Super Kings’ wicketkeeper-batter has intel on each domestic player in Jharkhand and wants to help improve the state of the sport in the state.

“When we started the season, right from the appointment of the coaching staff, we have always taken his advice and suggestions. He followed the entire [SMAT] tournament, noted all the strengths and weaknesses of the players and discussed with us. He knows the stats and numbers of each domestic player from Jharkhand. He is very interested in helping Jharkhand cricket grow,” Nadeem said about Dhoni’s contribution to cricket in Jharkhand via ESPNcricinfo.

Jharkhand scripted history earlier this season when they lifted the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for the first time. Ishan Kishan led the team commendably and also finished as the highest run-getter in the tournament. Another wicketkeeper-batter, Kumar Kushagra, also played a key role, especially in the final against Haryana.

Before the T20 competition, Jharkhand did relatively well in the first phase of the Ranji Trophy. They are placed third in Elite Group A, with two wins and one defeat in five matches. One of their wins came against former champions Tamil Nadu.

Jharkhand’s next target will be the Vijay Hazare Trophy. They suffered a setback in their opening fixture in the 50-over tournament. Despite Kishan’s whirlwind century, Jharkhand failed to defend a mammoth 413-run target against Karnataka.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni is gearing up to represent CSK once again in the upcoming edition of the IPL. The Men in Yellow have signed several talented youngsters at the mini-auction earlier this month, like Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma, among others, and they will be waiting with bated breath to pick the brains of the stalwart during the season.