As the Indian Premier League returns to its traditional format of home and away fixtures for all ten franchises, the Chennai Super Kings team has been rife with speculation. Many are wondering if this will be the final season for their captain from the inaugural season, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
Dhoni had previously mentioned that “it would be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you.” With that in mind, could the 2023 IPL season mark the end of the road for one of its most accomplished players and captains, who retired from international cricket in 2020?
Suresh Raina, who is a former teammate of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s from the Indian cricket team and Chennai Super Kings, holds a different opinion. The all-rounder, currently playing for the India Maharajas in the Legends League Cricket, was asked if he thought Dhoni would join him in the league of former cricketers for the next season.
Raina responded, “I would love for him to join, but we will have to wait and see what his commitments are. He might even play the IPL next year, you never know.”
He went on to add, “Dhoni has been batting well and seems to be in good shape. It depends on how he performs this year. It could be a bit challenging since he and (Ambati) Rayudu haven’t played in the tournament for a year. The team, however, appears to be quite strong, with a lot of young players coming up through the ranks such as (Ruturaj) Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), (Ben) Stokes, Deepak Chahar, and several other young and dynamic players in the team. We’ll see how they perform.”
The interviewer then asked Raina if Dhoni answers his phone calls. Raina responded with a laugh, saying, “Yes, he picks up, and we stay in touch. He’s been practicing really hard. You must have seen the videos of him on the CSK social media handles, hitting big shots in the nets. I hope he performs well and helps the team win.”
