IPL 2018: Excited Karn Sharma looks forward to learning from Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni

File photo of Karn Sharma (PTI)

Legspinner Karn Sharma on Tuesday said he was excited to get an opportunity to play at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) under Mahendra Singh Dhoni and hoped to learn a lot under him.

"I'm very excited and happy that Chennai Super Kings have given me the opportunity to play under Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). He's a great captain and knows how to extract the best from his players. I hope to learn a lot under him," Sharma was quoted as saying by the CSK website.

He further said that he was looking forward to playing for the team and learn from the great players in the line-up.

"I'm looking forward to playing for the champion franchise. CSK have a lot of great players in their line-up. I see this as a great opportunity to learn from them and become a better player," added the Meerut-born cricketer.

Wrist spinners are making an impact in the shorter formats of the game and Sharma was a consistent performer in domestic cricket and for India A in 2017-18. So it could be the revival of the 30-year-old who represented India in Test cricket, ODIs and T20Is in 2014.

He played an important role in Mumbai Indians winning their third title last season, conceding only 18 runs in his four overs in a low-scoring final against Rising Pune Supergiant.

Sharma, also a useful lower-order batsman, said he has not only added more variations to his repertoire but has worked on imparting more revolutions to his stock delivery.

"I've been playing in the IPL for long now and have learnt a lot of variations and how to bowl in different situations and to different batsmen. I've become a better bowler with that," the Meerut-born cricketer said.

Chennai franchise's CEO, KS Viswanathan, said Karn is an experienced campaigner in the IPL and being a wrist spinner could be a big asset to the team.

Karn is an experienced campaigner in the IPL, has been consistent over the years and turned in match-winning performances in big games," he said. "Being a wrist spinner, he is a big asset to the side."