MS Dhoni arrives in Chennai before heading to UAE for IPL
While IPL 2021 was originally scheduled to end in May, several Coronavirus cases inside bio-secure bubbles forced the abrupt suspension of the tournament. Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni landed in Chennai last night to commence preparations for the second phase of IPL 2021, which will start on September 19.
Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni has arrived in Chennai prior to the second half of IPL 2021 in the United Arab Emirates. The season is set to resume on September 19, 2021, and the three-time champions will be leaving for the Middle East on August 14, as per reports. Before their scheduled departure for Chennai, Thala was spotted at the Chennai Airport. Although Dhoni announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, there is hardly any dip in his popularity.
His wife Sakshi and daughter Ziva Dhoni also accompanied the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain to the capital of Tamil Nadu. CSK fans were ecstatic with his arrival in the city as they captured his homecoming at Chennai Airport. MS Dhoni will participate in a training camp with his CSK teammates to prepare for the IPL. The CSK contingent will leave for the UAE in the next few days to train at the venues for one month before the second leg of the IPL commences in September.
Under his captaincy, CSK had reached the Playoffs of every single season they had participated in except for 2020, where they became the first team to get knocked out of the Playoffs race. However, in 2021, Dhoni-led Chennai was looking like their dominant self and had started the season on a high by 5 wins from their first 7 matches.
In a huge boost to the team, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran, players who played a key role in CSK's resurgence, are set to be available for the remainder of the season. This was confirmed after the England and Wales Cricket Board's affirmation. Dhoni himself would be looking to get into some fine batting form ahead of the season. While he scored 200 runs in 14 matches in IPL 2020, which was one of the main reasons for their early ouster, he managed just 37 in the first 7 matches of 2021, at a strike rate of 123.33. CSK and Dhoni would hope that their talismanic leader is back to his best with the bat which will make the side even a more threatening force to reckon with.
