The 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League is likely to be the last one for legendary Indian cricketer MS Dhoni as a player for Chennai Super Kings. The 41-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is expected to call time on his playing career after the conclusion of the 2023 season. The star stumper has been with the Chennai-based team since the league’s inception in 2008, and he only transferred to the Rising Pune Supergiant during the 2016-2017 season, when the team was banned for two years. Dhoni, who is the only captain in history to win all three limited-overs ICC trophies, has captained the side in 12 full seasons and was reappointed as the leader in the 2022 edition after initially passing on the role to star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Since the upcoming season is likely to be Dhoni’s last, CSK will need to find a new captain to replace the legendary skipper, who has won four IPL trophies in addition to two Champions League titles for them. There are many players in the CSK setup like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, and Devon Conway who could step up and lead the side in the future, but according to former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina, who has represented CSK for more than a decade, the Chennai-based team will go all out to secure the services of English all-rounder Sam Curran in the IPL 2023 auction, which will take place in Kochi on Friday (December 23), as according to him, the star all-rounder could succeed Dhoni and lead CSK in the future.
“CSK really want him in their set-up because he has done really well in the World Cup. He has got great leadership qualities as well. CSK can look for a captain in him in the future,” Raina told Jio Cinema.
Chennai wickets will definitely suit his bowling. A lot of variation, and when you are playing home games, he is going to be very useful,” he added.
Curran has played for CSK in the 2020 and 2021 editions of the cash-rich league and has performed well. The 24-year-old cricketer, who was named the Player of the Tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup, was signed for Rs 5.5 crore in the 2020 auctions, but this time, he is likely to attract a much higher bid.
