IPL 2020: Dhoni commences wicket-keeping drills for CSK
What's the story
The entire nation awaits Mahendra Singh Dhoni's return in the yellows as the 13th edition of Indian Premier League will be underway on March 29. The 38-year-old was seen recently seen practicing as a lead-up to the tournament. His franchise Chennai Super Kings took to Twitter and posted a photo of the skipper who donned the wicket-keeping gloves. Here is more on the same.
Twitter Post
The CSK skipper practiced with gloves on
I see icy eyes. #KannulaThimiru #WhistlePodu š¦š pic.twitter.com/buE8wkQ8IC
ā Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 7, 2020
Practice session
Dhoni was greeted by his fans in Chennai
Dhoni received an electrifying welcome in CSK's first practice session at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on March 3. He took the guard and batted for some time in the nets, facing the likes of Piyush Chawla, Karn Sharma and R. Sai Kishore. Although Dhoni had been training with the Jharkhand team previously, he treated his fans with some mighty blows during the training session.
Twitter Post
Hundreds of fans erupted with joy as Dhoni took guard
A grand waltz to take guard! #StartTheWhistles #SuperTraining š¦š pic.twitter.com/tQbDqqnmT2
ā Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 2, 2020
Sabbatical
Dhoni hasn't been in contention since conclusion of CWC 19
The former Indian captain hasn't played competitive cricket since India's semi-final exit in the World Cup 2019. Following a two-week stint with the Indian army, he made himself unavailable for the West Indies tour and home T20Is against Bangladesh. He was also removed from the list of centrally contracted players recently amid speculations about his retirement from international cricket.
IPL 2020
CSK will lock horns with Mumbai Indians on March 29
Skipper Dhoni led CSK to a third IPL title in 2018, while the yellow army fell short of one run to win the final in the following season. In 2018, he scored 455 runs from 15 innings at an average of 75.83. Interestingly, his average climbed to 83.20 in 2019. He would look for a positive start against Mumbai Indians in the tournament opener.