Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni has already kicked off preparation for the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). A video has surfaced on social media where the wicketkeeper-batsman can be seen in the nets at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA). The Jharkhand cricket team is participating in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Dhoni joined his former teammates to prepare for IPL.
Dhoni played for Jharkhand before making his India debut. He made his return for the state team in 2015 and 2017 and captained the side in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Dhoni has also served as the mentor of the state team and has often travelled with the players.
As far as IPL goes, the four-time IPL winning captain is confirmed to play for Yellow Army in IPL 2023. Dhoni had confirmed that he would be entertaining the Chepauk crowd in next season. CSK haven’t played at their home ground since 2019.
Dhoni will also lead CSK in the tournament. He had stepped down as captain before the start of IPL 2022 and handed over the charge to Ravindra Jadeja. After 8 matches, the franchise made a change and reappointed Dhoni as the captain.
The former India captain is likely to take a call on his playing career after IPL 2023 and will aim to lift the IPL trophy once again in front of his home crowd.
Before the season, all eyes will be on the fact if Jadeja stays with CSK or not. The star all-rounder has teased leaving CSK by deleting all the posts related to the franchise from his Instagram page. A report in Cricbuzz recently suggested that Delhi Capitals approached CSK for trading Jadeja.
But there is no official word on it yet and the fans have to wait for the last date for the franchises to reveal the list of released players. The IPL 2023 auction is likely to take place in December.