Chennai: Mahendra Singh Dhoni is on the last lap of his career. For all practical purposes, this will be his last IPL. And now, his 44-year-old body seemed to be disobeying his will to continue even in those final outbursts.Go beyond boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!Dhoni, who has been training hard for over a month, suffered a calf strain during training, which could keep him out of action for around three weeks. While CSK’s official statement states that he will be out of action for two weeks, team sources indicate that he is unlikely to return before the last week of April.This could mean the legend will miss at least six matches, and a potential return against Mumbai Indians on April 23 is also uncertain.
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Stay back“It is definitely a big blow for us and we will have to deal with it,” a senior CSK official said.
Dhoni did not travel to Guwahati for the team’s first match against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday and is carrying out his rehabilitation in Chennai. “He is taking a break and we want him back as soon as possible,” the source said.While Dhoni’s absence reduces the hype around CSK, it could also be a blessing in disguise. The five-time IPL winning captain has not been anywhere near his best in the last two seasons and his role has been limited to short spells of batting in the 15th over due to the constant injuries he has been suffering.
It’s time for the Super Kings to find a capable lower-order batsman and in Dhoni’s absence, the door may open for the likes of Prashant Veer and Karthik Sharma – who were brought in for Rs 14.2 crore – to take charge at the end of the innings with some explosive batting.Samson to keep wicketDespite this, the retention aspect has been well covered with the arrival of Sanju Samson. A while ago, CSK CEO Kashi Viswanathan had said that Dhoni was unlikely to play all the matches, suggesting that Sanju would be the No. 1 player.
1′ guard.This also means that Dhoni will act as an ‘Impact Sub’ as a batsman and now, after the injury, this decision may be forced upon CSK even when their star player returns.The fact that Dhoni did not travel with the team and will not be in the dugout clearly indicates that during the match, the team will be looking for the new leadership group consisting of
Ruturaj Gaikwad
And Sampson to take the crucial calls, perhaps in consultation with coach Stephen Fleming.While CSK fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of Dhoni in action later in the IPL at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, the next three weeks will give us an indication of the direction the five-time champions will be heading in the future.