Finally, it has been made official that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni is likely to join the training camp of his team from 3rd March, for the preparation of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 13th edition will begin on 29th March. He will join other CSK teammates for training at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
CSK’s first clash is against the defending champions Mumbai Indians at iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. And, for the first time in the past eight months, fans will see former Indian captain in action with bat and donning the gloves behind the stumps.
The wicket-keeper batsman Dhoni has made himself unavailable after India faced a disheartening defeat in World Cup 2019. Since then, he hasn’t played a competitive match while he has been spotted practicing at his home ground – Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA). Also, under his sabbatical break, Dhoni was seen spending quality time with his family and friends.
According to CSK CEO K S Viswanathan, Dhoni will be training with players who are available. Formally, the full preparatory camp of the team will begin from March 19.
Meanwhile, Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu have already started the preparation for the past three weeks or so. Dhoni would like to sweat hard in the nets, as he has been far from the game for a while.
Sources also said that the training camp is being organised to increase the bond among the players as new players will also join the CSK squad.
Last year in December, in IPL 2020 auction, veteran leggie Piyush Chawla, Aussie pacer Josh Hazelwood, England all-rounder Sam Curran and Tamil Nadu left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore during the auction held in December last.
Meanwhile, CSK also shared a picture of Dhoni watching the new IPL ad. The snap shared went viral in no time, only to send fans into a frenzy.