Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni, on Thursday (June 1), underwent a surgery on his left knee in Mumbai, just days after leading his team to a record-equaling fifth IPL title.
Hours after IPL 2023 final ended in Ahmedabad, the former India skipper left for Mumbai to consult renowned sports orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala. Following the consultation, MS Dhoni decided to go under the knife. The veteran wicketkeeper-batsman had played the entire competition with pain in left knee.
While he did not let the injury impact his performance behind the stumps, the heavy strapping on his knee made it clear that he was having a tough time. The injured knee was one of the reasons why the 41-year old constantly tried to face as few deliveries as possible with the bat. He came out to bat as low as number 8 and did not look at his best while running between the wickets.
“Yes, Dhoni has had a successful knee surgery at the Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday. He is doing fine and will be discharged in a day or two. He would be resting for a few days before his extensive rehabilitation starts. It is now expected that he would have enough time to get fit to play in the next IPL,” a CSK source was quoted as saying by news outlet PTI.
MS Dhoni eyes next IPL:
MS Dhoni’s decision to undergo surgery on his left knee immediately after the conclusion of IPL 2023 could be because of his intention to play the next IPL too. Speaking at the end of the final, the former India skipper had said that he would try to play the next IPL too provided that his body permits. With the surgery done now, the veteran star will have ample time to recover and resume his training ahead of IPL 2024.
“If you circumstantially see, it’s the best time to announce retirement. The easy thing for me to say is thank you and retire. But the hard thing to do is to work hard for nine months and try to play one more IPL season. The body has to hold up. But the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to play one more season,” MS Dhoni had said.
“The way they’ve shown their love and emotion, it’s something I need to do for them. It’s the last part of my career. It started over here and full house was chanting my name. It was same thing in Chennai, but it will be good to come back and play whatever I can. The kind of cricket I play, they feel they can play that cricket. There’s nothing orthodox about it and I like to keep it simple,” he added.
Earlier this week, he led Chennai Super Kings to a thrilling 5-wicket win (DLS method) over defending champions Gujarat Titans. Chennai Super Kings have now become only the second team after Mumbai Indians to win the IPL five times. Dhoni has also become only the second captain after Rohit Sharma to lead a team to five IPL titles.
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