Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is arguably the best finisher in the game of cricket. Apart from his heroics for Indian cricket, both as a batter and a skipper, the keeper-batter has been a stalwart in the Indian Premier League and has played an instrumental in the success of the league and in making his side among the most dominant forces in the tournament.
His impact as a leader is irreplaceable as he has helped many youngsters as well as seasoned players in the tough times of their careers by providing them support and backing them. The wicketkeeper batter has led CSK to four titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and is the chief architect in making the franchise the brand it is today.
Dhoni took the franchise to record nine IPL finals in the tournament history and in 219 games, he 132 games as a skipper with a 60.77% win record. The Indian Legend took CSK into the playoffs of all the seasons they had participated except in 2020 and 2022, where they finished seventh and ninth respectively.
Suresh Raina backs MS Dhoni to play in IPL 2024 as well
Dhoni is gearing up for the IPL 2023. The 42-year-old has joined the team and is leaving no stone unturned in the build-up to the tournament. He’s smashing bowlers in the nets and is timing the ball to perfection, which can be an intuition of what is about to come.
However, one question that is there in the mind of almost every cricket fan is whether will it be the last season of MS Dhoni. It seems so as the keeper-batter himself had many times said that he wants to play his last game in front of the chepauk crowd. This wasn’t possible in the last 3 years as Covid-19 forced BCCI to host the tournament in a few selected venues.
But the league this time will be played in its old form as a team will play seven home games and seven away games, which gives the opportunity to CSK and other teams to play in front of the home crowds. Therefore, it potentially can be the last season of MS Dhoni, considering his age as well.
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However, Suresh Raina feels the other way. The former CSK player said that Dhoni is super fit and can play next year as well. Speaking during Legends League Cricket, he said: “Dhoni can play the IPL 2024 as well, he is super fit, batting well & depends on performance this year”.
Dhoni notably, tried to pass the baton last year when he handed his leadership to Ravindra Jadeja. But the all-rounder couldn’t perform under pressure and also the team suffered losses, which led to the keeper batter taking back the charge.
Not only with his captaincy, but Dhoni has been a powerhouse with the bat as well as he has many times won the match for his side in crunch situations with his ability to finish the games. The wicketkeeper batter has scored 4978 runs in 235 matches at a strike rate of over 135.
MS Dhoni’s CSK to open their IPL 2023 campaign against Gujarat Titans on 31st March
The two-month-long festival of cricket “Indian Premier League” is all set to take place from 31st March. The tournament will kick start with a blockbuster clash between defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The final of the event will take place on 28th May and the tournament will be played across 12 venues in Ahmedabad, Mohali, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai, Guwahati and Dharamsala.
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