Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni limped off the field after he was stopped by Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Sandeep Sharma in high-voltage run chase on April 12. There were concerns over Dhoni's knee injury which prevented him from running hard between the wickets during the run chase. CSK will play their next match on April 17 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. Ahead of the RCB clash, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has confirmed that Dhoni will play in the next match.
"He will play," CSK CEO was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "It is true that he has an injury to his knee but he has not told us otherwise."
Earlier, CSK coach Stephen Fleming had revealed that Dhoni got injured during the clash against Sanju Samson-led side. "He is nursing a knee injury, which you can see in some of his movements. It's hindering him somewhat. His fitness has always been very professional. He comes a month before the tournament starts. He's a great player. We have never doubted him. He's just amazing," Fleming said.
While Dhoni is expected to regain fitness for April 17 game, England all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to miss the next three games at least. Earlier, the CSK official website in a media release had said that it will take one more week for Stokes to return to the action but Viswanathan said he won't return till the end of month.
"Ben is doing well, he is recovering fast, and should definitely be fit for the April 30 game," he said. On the other hand, CSK official feels that Dhoni can be ready for the away game against Royals as well which will be played on April 27.
Just few weeks into IPL, several CSK players have already been injured. South African pacer Sisanda Magala got injured while taking a catch against Royals which has ruled him out for a week. Earlier, Deepak Chahar got injured after bowling just one over against Mumbai Indians (MI). Chahar is unlikely to return to the field this month as he will take longer to recover.
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