MS Dhoni received a god-like welcome when he reached Chennai for the 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 which will kick off from March 31. Dhoni's fans thronged the Chennai airport to get a glimpse of their superstar.
Meanwhile on Friday (March 3), Dhoni was spotted practicing in a CSK's nets session at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai. The CSK Super Fan posted a video on Instagram in which Dhoni can be seen despositing massive sixes at Chepauk stands. He also cracked Karn Sharma for a gigantic six which ignited a thunderous uproar from the crowd. The crowd can be heard chanting 'Thala' ‘Thala’ and demanding Dhoni to hit big sixes.
Here's the video…
The IPL 2023 season could be the last dance of 41-year-old MS Dhoni as a player. In his farewell season, Dhoni would like to bow out with another IPL title, having already made CSK champions four times. Last year, CSK had handed the captaincy baton to Ravindra Jadeja, but they were forced to reverse the decision halfway through the season.
Dhoni, one of the greatest match winners of the Indian Premier League was seen sharpening his skills at Ranchi during India's T20I series vs New Zealand. Dhoni had come to meet the young India players in the dressing room and even visited the ground during the match. CSK bid heavily on England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes in the IPL 2023 auction as he was roped in for Rs 16.25 crore who could be Dhoni's successor in near future.
CSK will take on 2022-champions Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 opener on March 31.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) squad
MS Dhoni (c), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chowdhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) IPL 2023 schedule
– Match 1: March 31, 2023 – Gujarat Titans vs Chennai Super Kings, Ahmedabad (7:30PM IST)
– Match 2: April 3, 2023 – Chennai Super Kings vs Lucknow Super Giants, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 3: April 8, 2023 – Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 4: April 12, 2023 – Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 5: April 17, 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, Bengaluru (7:30PM IST)
– Match 6: April 21, 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 7: April 23, 2023: Kolkata Knight RIders vs Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata (7:30PM IST)
– Match 8: April 27, 2023 – Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Jaipur (7:30PM IST)
– Match 9: April 30, 2023 – Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings, Chennai (3:30PM IST)
– Match 10: May 4, 2023 – Lucknow Super Giants vs Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow (3:30PM IST)
– Match 11: May 6, 2023 – Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Chennai (3:30PM IST)
– Match 12: May 10, 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 13: May 14, 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai (7:30PM IST)
– Match 14: May 20, 2023: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi (3:30PM IST)
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