New Delhi: The 19th season of the Indian Premier League is set to begin today. The BCCI has completely suspended the IPL opening ceremony. Meanwhile, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has suffered a major setback before the IPL begins. CSK’s most experienced player and former captain, MS Dhoni, has been injured, potentially ruling him out of a few matches.
There is a chance that he may be ruled out of the first four matches. CSK has officially released this information in a statement. CSK stated that Dhoni is currently suffering from a calf injury and is undergoing rehabilitation. Due to this, he could be out for two weeks. This will be a major blow to CSK fans.
How many matches could Dhoni miss?
Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s injury is muscle-related. It may take some time for the injury to heal. In such a situation, MS Dhoni could be out of action for two weeks. The clear implication is that there is suspense over the first three to four matches. This will be a major blow for CSK, as Dhoni is not only a good wicketkeeper but also an experienced player.
His experience is useful as an on-field advisor. CSK’s first match is against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30th. In Guwahati, they will play the Punjab Kings in Chennai on April 3rd, the Royal Challengers Bangalore in Bangalore on April 5th, and the Delhi Capitals in Chennai on April 11th. CSK will then face the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai on April 14th. MS Dhoni could return against Delhi or Kolkata.
CSK will suffer a major loss
Mahendra Singh Dhoni may not be captaining CSK, but his presence on the field has a significant impact. He boosts team morale in difficult situations and plays a major role in the captain’s strategy. He is associated with the team as an uncapped player.
His absence will be clearly felt in all aspects: wicketkeeping experience, finishing in the death overs, and guiding young players. Mahendra Singh Dhoni has retired from all formats internationally. He is only seen playing in the IPL.
In Dhoni’s absence, CSK will have to make changes to their playing XI. The wicketkeeping duties could be given to another player. Besides Dhoni, CSK has Sanju Samson, Urvil Patel, and Kartik Sharma as wicketkeepers. Any one of these three could be given the wicketkeeping duties.
Learn about CSK’s probable playing XI.
Rituraj Gaikwad (captain), Sanju Samson, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brewis, Urvil Patel (wicketkeeper), Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed. (Impact Player: Kartik Sharma)
