MS Dhoni, the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has shown his commitment and dedication to the team by playing the entire 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a knee injury. He never complained about his pain to anyone and led his team to their fifth IPL trophy.
Dhoni underwent a successful knee surgery in Mumbai after the final and is recovering well. He has expressed his desire to play one more season of IPL, if his body permits. He said, “The way they’ve shown their love and emotion, it’s something I need to do for them. It’s the last part of my career. It started over here and full house was chanting my name. It was the same in Chennai, but it will be good to come back and play in whatever way I can.”
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan praised Dhoni’s leadership and simplicity. He said, “We knew it was a struggle for Dhoni to play but his commitment to CSK, his leadership & how the team benefits, you have to appreciate him, till the final, he never complained about his knee but everyone knew that he was struggling.” He also said that the franchise is not thinking about life after Dhoni and will respect his decision.
“It’s all part and parcel of the game. After the last game, people saw videos online and assumed I’m pacifying Jadeja, but it wasn’t like that. I was talking to him about the match, what he did. We didn’t have any other discussion. Everyone knows in a team environment, what happens in the dressing room, no one is privy to it outside. We don’t have any problem. He always had high respect for Dhoni. After the final also, he said, ‘I dedicate this knock to Dhoni.’ That is the kind of respect he has for MS.”
“He said, ‘look, the fifth title has been delivered.’ It’s a big relief,” Viswanathan said. “He praised Jadeja for the effort and confidence he showed. It [Ahmedabad] was like a home ground for him [Jadeja]. It was very satisfying. Everyone knows how Dhoni has brought up Jadeja from 2012 at CSK. He has the satisfaction of seeing a home-grown boy deliver the title for CSK.”