MS Dhoni has made an early arrival in Chennai ahead of the forthcoming IPL season, joining the preparatory camp 17 days before the tournament commences at Chepauk on March 22.
Following a left knee surgery in June last year, Dhoni, 42, is set to return to action after leading Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title in the previous season. Throughout IPL 2023, Dhoni played with a heavily strapped knee, displaying agility behind the stumps but facing challenges while running between the wickets.
Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of CSK, had provided an update on Dhoni’s recovery during the launch of the Junior Super Kings tournament in December, mentioning that the former Indian captain had commenced his rehabilitation and gym sessions.
However, CSK faced an early setback with New Zealand’s Devon Conway sidelined due to thumb surgery, likely to miss the first half of the tournament. In Conway’s absence, CSK’s backup wicketkeeping option is Aravelly Avanish, who represented India in the Under-19 World Cup.
CSK’s pre-season camp commenced on March 2, with local players arriving on March 1. Among them, Ruturaj Gaikwad, recovering from a finger injury, participated after featuring for Maharashtra in the last round of the Ranji Trophy. Seamer Deepak Chahar, inactive since December 2023, also resumed training.
The local contingent includes Gaikwad’s Maharashtra teammates Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, and Prashant Solanki, alongside Delhi seamer Simarjeet Singh and Chhattisgarh left-arm spin-bowling allrounder Ajay Mandal.
Defending champions CSK will kick off their campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 22 at Chepauk. The IPL has released a partial schedule featuring 21 matches between March 22 and April 7, with the final expected on May 26, just five days before the commencement of the men’s T20 World Cup in the USA and the Caribbean on June 1.
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