MS Dhoni will lead Chennai Super Kings in the opening match of IPL 2023 against defending champions Gujarat Titans on March 31.
Former India captain and Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni has worked hard in the off season to bulk up ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, which gets underway on March 31. Dhoni’s CSK will be up against defending champions Gujarat Titans in the opening match on March 31.
There is speculation that Dhoni might be playing his final season of the IPL in 2023 as he is already 41 years of age already. However, former CSK teammate and Australian all-rounder Shane Watson believes that Dhoni might be fit enough to play for 3 or 4 more years.
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Dhoni, also known as ‘Captain Cool’ and ‘Thala’ in Chennai, has been a member of the CSK team since the first IPL season in 2008 and has led the franchise to four titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, and 2021. Dhoni has also played for the Rising Pune Supergiant from 2016-17. He was even a part of the side which finished as runners-up in 2017 under Steve Smith’s captaincy.
“I heard that this is the last IPL of MS Dhoni but I don’t think so. MS Dhoni can continue to play for the next three to four years. He is still very fit and batting and wicket-keeping really well. His leadership is something that is as good as his game. His fitness and mind-reading of the game make him a good leader. His skills on the ground are awesome. He is one of the main reasons that CSK is successful,” Shane Watson was quoted as saying news agency ANI.
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Even former India and CSK teammate Suresh Raina felt Dhoni can be fit enough to carry on in 2024. “Agle saal ho sakta hai wo (Dhoni) fir IPL khelein. Unka form achcha lag raha hai, batting achcha kar rahe hain. It all depends ke kaisa khelta hai this season. Kaafi challenging hoga, ek saal se tournament nahi khelein hai wo,” Raina said after the match against the World Giants on Wednesday (March 15) night.
Watson, who is currently participating in Doha in the Legend League Cricket 2023, said that it is a great experience to share a dressing room with players like Jacques Kallis and Aaron Finch. “I feel so good to be here on the field and sharing dressing room players like Jacques Kallis, Aaron Finch and many more and this is a different kind of league that gives a next level to us and I am very happy to be part of this,” he added.
Individually, IPL 2022 was better for Dhoni because he scored his first fifty in the Indian Premier League since 2019, but it was still short of the standard that he has set for himself. Last year, the captain who has led CSK to four IPL titles amassed 232 runs at a strike rate of 123.40 and an average of 33.14.
