It was calm before the storm at Chepauk on Friday evening as MS Dhoni walked up to the nets to have a hit for the first time after joining the Chennai Super Kings training camp ahead of IPL 2024. Dhoni, with his vintage long hair, padded up and got used to the feel of hitting the balls in the middle of the park as his teammates watched on with awe.
MS Dhoni will return to competitive action for the first time since winning the IPL 2023 final when Chennai Super Kings open their new season against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on March 22. Dhoni underwent surgery to treat a long-standing knee issue last year and was under rehabilitation before he landed in Chennai earlier in the month to begin preparations for IPL 2024.
MS Dhoni looked confident in the middle as he began his batting practice by leaving one outside the off-stump, as seen in a video shared by the Super Kings on Saturday. Dhoni did not attempt too many big shots, but he was driving and pushing deliveries with a lot of solidity. Dhoni flaunted his reflexes by digging out a yorker as throwdown specialists did not miss the opportunity to bowl at the 42-year-old captain.
MS Dhoni also played with his cap on, taking on spinners and getting used to the conditions in Chepauk, which is expected to offer spin-friendly tracks in the summer.
Dhoni landed in Chennai after attending Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding festive in Jamnagar earlier in March.
All eyes will be on Dhoni’s match fitness when he takes the field on the opening day of the new season. The 5-time title-winning captain will be received by a packed house when he walks out for the toss against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
It will interesting to see how Dhoni goes about his business with the bat and where he decides to slot himself in the powerful Super Kings batting order. Dhoni opted to bat lower down the order, but he managed to ace the finisher’s role, scoring 104 runs at a staggering strike rate of 184.
CSK SQUAD FOR IPL 2024
Batters: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi.
Wicketkeepers: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shardul Thakur.
Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Choudhary.
