CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan, however, outlined the date of Dhoni’s return to the practice nets to prepare for IPL 2024.
A little over three months left before the 2024 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) kicks off, and with that, the perennial question that has troubled every cricket fan, let alone those of Chennai Super Kings, on whether it will be MS Dhoni’s final year before he draws curtains on his illustrious career. On Saturday, at the launch of the Junior Super Kings event in Chennai, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was directly asked to respond to the speculations, but he chose to remain tightlipped and left the responsibility of addressing the issue on the skipper.
Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni during the IPL 2023 cricket match between Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad(PTI)
“That I do not know. As far as the captain is concerned, he will answer you directly. He does not tell us what he is going to do,” he said.
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Viswanathan, however, outlined the date of Dhoni’s return to the practice nets to prepare for IPL 2024. Dhoni had undergone knee surgery earlier this year, post the 2023 IPL season, but seems to have recovered well in time for the next season. Viswanathan revealed that the captain has already begun his gym sessions and will hit the nets in the first week of January.
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The CEO said, “He is doing well now. He has started his rehab. He started working in the gym. And, probably in another ten days he’ll also start working in the nets.”
Viswanathan further revealed that with the IPL 2024 season set for a probable March 22 start, Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, will be holding their preparatory camp from the first week of March. “We are planning for a camp somewhere by the first week of March. The IPL season is likely to start by 22nd of March. So, we will have our first camp by the first week in Chennai,” he said.
Chennai picked up six players at the mini-auction last week in Dubai with the likes of Shardul Thakur ( ₹4 crore), Rachin Ravindra ( ₹1.8 crore), Daryl Mitchell ( ₹14 crore), Sameer Rizvi ( ₹8.4 crore), Mustafizur Rahman ( ₹2 crore) and Avanish Rao Aravelly ( ₹20 lakh) joining the five-time IPL winners.
“I would say we pretty much got all of our targets. We were planning for Daryl Mitchell. We thought Mustafizur Rahman would be a good bet at our Chepauk wicket with the side boundary. These were our thoughts, but we were not sure whether we would be able together them. Luckily, it was a good auction for us this time,” Viswanathan said.
