‘Having Dhoni as captain who wasn’t emotional helped a lot’:Lungi Ngidi speaks on impact of CSK stint, bowling plans for Virat Kohli

That MS Dhoni has been one of the most influential figures in cricket needs no introduction. The legendary Indian wicketkeeper, who has truly been one of his kind in the sport, has impacted many with his calm and composed demeanor and Lungi Ngidi is one of them. The South African pacer has evolved a lot since his debut in 2018. An experienced campaigner in the IPL having played for teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Ngidi is currently an integral part of the Delhi Capitals outfit and has been in good form this season, with five wickets in four matches. Delhi Capitals play defending champions RCB next and in a media interaction involving Bhaskar English, the 30-year-old bowler spoke about his plans for Virat Kohli and also shared about the variations he has been using. ‘Playing under MS Dhoni who wasn’t emotional helped a lot’ Dhoni hardly shows any emotions on the cricket field and that is probably one of the reasons why he earned the moniker ‘Captain Cool.’ The 44-year-old has characteristically remained calm in pressure situations and Ngidi shares how that helped him in his early days in the IPL. Ngidi made his IPL debut for CSK in 2018 and went on to win the title with them that very year. “Playing under MS Dhoni, I think all those years ago, I was very young. So having a captain who wasn’t emotional did help a lot in terms of keeping calm when I had to play. They backed me and in my first season, I was able to open the bowling in a final,” he said. “So clearly, they had confidence in me. I really enjoyed my time playing under MS Dhoni. It was a lot of fun. I learned a lot,” Ngidi added. (7:00 to 7:05) Reflecting on his CSK stint, Ngidi spoke about sharing the dressing room with some of the big names in the team. “I really enjoyed my time there. I learned a lot. Playing with players like Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo and Murali Vijay at that age, when I was 20-21 years old, was very exciting,” he added. On bowling plans to Virat Kohli DC and RCB have had slightly contrasting campaigns so far. RCB have already proven their case to defend the IPL title and DC, meanwhile, find themselves in the middle of the points table, with two back-to-back losses after winning two games to start their campaign. And DC’s next challenge would be a red-hot RCB side, whose batting has been led by none other than Virat Kohli. The RCB legend became the Orange Cap holder after his team’s win over the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). “I’m not going to tell you my plans for Virat Kohli because that would defeat the purpose of wickets (laughs). But yes, you always come up with plans. You look at technical things, recent dismissals, and patterns. That’s normal planning for every batter before every game,” Ngidi said when asked about how he would counter Kohli. “He’s obviously one of the most consistent batters in that lineup, so you have to be aware of him. But having been around that setup, I know the other batters as well, and they are just as dangerous,” he added. Bravo and the slower ball One of the principal reasons behind Lungi Ngidi’s success has been the slower ball. The South African pacer has executed it to perfection on a number of occasions, with the prime example being the sensational off-cutter which he used to fox Nicholas Pooran and in turn, rattle his stumps. Ngidi tracked the birth of his slower ball to his CSK stint in 2018 where he received tips on developing the delivery from Dwayne Bravo. “I started at CSK in 2018, and that is something Dwayne Bravo had mentioned to me, that I should work on a good slower ball,” he shared. (1:50-2:01) “I asked him to teach me how he bowls his one, and he showed me a couple of things. Obviously, it wasn’t perfect off the bat for me, but I developed it over the years. It did take a lot of practice. It has become one of my weapons. It takes a lot of confidence to run in and bowl it, especially trying to get it to dip on a yorker length,” he added. Ngidi also shared why it is important to have such deliveries in a bowler’s arsenal in modern-day T20 cricket. “There are times where I get it wrong, and like any world-class batter, they can hit it for a boundary. But when I get it right, it creates chances. In T20 cricket, that’s what you want, to create chances or control the flow of runs,” the DC pacer explained. “I was also watching trends of the IPL over the years, and it feels like everyone wants to bowl fast. But on these wickets, with the bats and the boundary sizes, pace can travel. So you need something different to stay relevant,” he said. (3:35-3:57) ‘Was excited to meet Auqib Nabi’ To say that Auqib Nabi has been a standout performer in Indian domestic cricket might be an understatement heading into the IPL. The all-rounder played an integral role in Jammu and Kashmir winning the Ranji Trophy for the first time in history. Nabi was expectedly among the hottest prospects at the IPL 2026 auction as he fetched a whopping Rs 8.4 crore contract from the Delhi Capitals. Ngidi shared that he was excited to meet the JK star. “When I found out he was coming to Delhi, I started reading about him and his performances. He’s done very well recently, and I was excited to meet him,” he said, adding, “When I met him, I realised how skillful he is. He can swing the ball both ways, bowl yorkers, bowl at good pace, and also contribute with the bat. He’s a complete cricketer.” Ngidi also spoke about his appreciation for Nabi’s inspirational rise in the Ranji Trophy to the IPL. “He’s very calm, very humble, and a quiet guy as well. I enjoy being around players like that. He works hard and is very focused. We were paired together in the nets and just clicked. We don’t talk a lot, but we understand each other well and communicate when needed,” he said. “I enjoy meeting players who are trying to come through the system and make a name for themselves. Those are the stories I really appreciate,” Ngidi added. RCB chapter over, now focus is on Delhi Capitals, says Ngidi Ngidi’s next big challenge is against RCB, a side he was part of in their maiden IPL-winning campaign. Released by RCB before the auction, Ngidi is clear to keep emotions out of the way as he faces his former team. “I don’t take emotions into the game. When I play, it’s purely professional and strictly business, as you would call it. I’m representing Delhi Capitals now,” Ngidi said, while highlighting that his chapter with RCB has ended. “I had a great time at RCB. We won the title and I was able to play as well, had good performances, which is always nice. But like I said, at the end of the season, I was released. So, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do for Delhi now because I’m part of the Delhi team. So yeah, it’s strictly business. No emotions towards it,” he added.