Chennai : Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan expressed optimism that skipper MS Dhoni will be fit to play the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, saying that the legendary wicketkeeper-batter and captain has recovered from his knee issues really well and is right now going through his rehab and training sessions.
At the launch event of the Junior Super Kings Interschool T20 tournament, Kasi said to ANI, “He has recovered well (from his knee injury). He is undergoing his rehab programmes, started training. By the time the next IPL starts, I am sure he will be fit to play.”
Dhoni’s status in IPL 2024 was subjected to scrutiny by fans as he played the last season with an injured knee. He also underwent a knee surgery immediately after the season earlier this year, which was successful. The last season was also rumoured to be Dhoni’s last IPL season.
But following his team’s fifth title win earlier this year, MS had said in the post-match presentation, “If you circumstantially see it is the best time to announce the 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 with the amount of love I have received from CSK fans, it would be a gift for them to play one more season. The way they have shown their love and emotion, it is something I need to do for them.”
Dhoni scored 104 runs in 12 innings this IPL 2023. He scored these runs at an average of 26, with a strike rate of above 182. His best score this season was 32*. A lot of his runs came through his signature big sixes.
In 250 IPL matches, Dhoni has scored 5,082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of over 135, with 24 half-centuries and best score of 84*. He is the seventh-highest run-scorer in IPL history.
On the recently held mini-auction in Dubai, Kasi said that the team was lucky to have covered all the bases, as per plans.
“Now it is up to the boys to do well on the field,” said Kasi.
On getting star New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell for a massive Rs 14 crores, the CSK CEO said that there was a risk that they could lose a chance to get him.
“We were keen on Mitchell. He had done really well in the ICC Cricket World Cup. But we knew that it was risky, we could lose the opportunity to have him since he had done so well. At the end of the day, we are happy to have him,” said Kasi.
In the last season of the IPL, the Kiwi star did not take part in the tournament. His last season was in 2022 with Rajasthan Royals (RR). He played only two matches in the extravagant T20 tournament and scored 33 runs. However, in the upcoming season, he will don the yellow jersey.
Daryl was New Zealand’s second-most successful batter in WC 2023, scoring 552 runs in 10 matches with two centuries and two fifties at an average of 69.00. The all-rounder has 1,069 runs for Kiwis in 56 T20Is at an average of 24.86, with five fifties and eight wickets as well. He is a batting all-rounder.
Kasi said that the IPL camp for the next season will start by the first week of March next year.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL 2024 squad: Ajay Mandal, Ajinkya Rahane, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway*Maheesh Theekshana*, Matheesha Pathirana*, Mitchell Santner*, Moeen Ali*, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shaik Rasheed, Shivam Dube, Simarjeet Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Rachin Ravindra*, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell*, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman* and Avanish Rao Aravelly.
Players brought during the auction: Rachin Ravindra (Rs. 1.8 crore), Shardul Thakur (Rs. 4 crore), Daryl Mitchell (Rs. 14 crores), Sameer Rizvi (Rs. 8.40 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs. 2 crore), Avanish Rao Aravelly (Rs. 20 lakh).
