MS Dhoni, aged 42, faced challenges in IPL 2023, frequently sporting a knee strap throughout the tournament.
CEO of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Kasi Viswanathan has established that former Indian captain MS Dhoni is gearing up for training in the coming weeks ahead of IPL 2024.
Dhoni, who underwent left knee surgery after leading CSK to their fifth IPL trophy, is currently in rehab and working in the gym. Viswanathan mentioned that Dhoni is expected to start practicing in the nets in around ten days as part of his preparation for the upcoming IPL season.
“He is doing well now. He has started his rehab and is working in the gym. And, probably in another ten days, he will also start working in the nets,” Viswanathan stated at the launch of the Junior Super Kings inter-school tournament.
With the IPL 2024 season set to begin around March 22, the CSK CEO mentioned their plans for a training camp in Chennai by the first week of March. Viswanathan also expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance in the IPL 2024 auction, stating that they secured most of their preferred picks.
“We pretty much got all our targets. We were planning for Daryl Mitchell. We thought Mustafizur Rahman would be a good bet at our Chepauk wicket, with the big side boundaries. These were our thoughts, but we were not sure whether we would be able to get them. Luckily, it was a good auction for us this time,” he added.
Regarding the significant bid of Rs 8.4 crore for uncapped batter Sameer Rizvi, Viswanathan explained, “Sameer Rizvi was a targeted player for many of the franchises. We were probably a bit lucky in getting him.
If you look at it, we were trying to get a replacement for Ambati Rayudu. According to us, we needed more players with that kind of experience to bid for any of them. So, we thought it was better to go in for a youngster who has the promise.”
“I am not saying this just because we have picked him; he will be the next best. But the opportunity is there for that. Last year, we got Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar. So, we are also trying to build the team for the future, which will help us in the longer run,” he concluded.
