Gujarat captain Urvil Patel credited MS Dhoni after he hammered the third fastest T20 hundred by an Indian in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The 27-year-old, who was retained by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of IPL 2026 auction, slammed a 31-ball century in the game against Services on Wednesday. Patel, who was signed as a mid-season replacement for Vansh Bedi in IPL 2025, revealed how MS Dhoni’s advice helped him improve his game.
The MS Dhoni factor behind Urvil Patel’s whirlwind innings
Speaking to The Hindu after his whirlwind knock, Urvil revealed that he had learnt some valuable lessons from Dhoni in the limited time that he spent with CSK in IPL 2025. He said that the CSK stalwart had instilled self-belief and self-confidence in him regarding his game. Patel noted that Dhoni had also spoken to him about game awareness and had taught him how to think and execute plans according to the situation.
“Playing with Mahi bhai was like a dream for me. While I was not with them for a long time, I got some good lessons there, which are helping me perform well here. He spoke about the importance of self-belief and self-confidence in cricket. Another thing I learned from him was game awareness, what to do according to the situation and how to think,” Urvil Patel said.
The Gujarat captain slammed 11 fours and eight sixes en route to his 31-ball century against Services at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025 opener on Wednesday. Urvil finished with 119 runs to his name off just 37 deliveries, hammering 12 fours and 10 sixes. The CSK youngster has been retained by the franchise for Rs 30 lakh after his impressive performance in the limited opportunities he got in IPL 2025. He managed to score just 68 runs but showed glimpses of his ability to be destructive in the middle-order.
“I won’t say that I can play more freely since I have been retained. I have a responsibility as a captain. I will treat every match and every innings the same,” Urvil added.
