The 2023 season of the Indian Premier League is all set to commence on March 31. With less than a month to go for the start of the T20 tournament, all the franchises have started to gear up for the event. The latest update is that the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will begin their pre-season camp on March 3 (Friday). 

While Dhoni had started working on his match fitness from a few weeks ago, with videos of his net session at the JSCA International Stadium Complex in Ranchi regularly going viral, he was initially batting only against spin. However, now with the official camp starting tomorrow, the former India captain might increase the intensity of his training with the Men in Yellow set to be part of the opening game at the Narendra Modi International Stadium in Ahmedabad.

“CSK will begin training from tomorrow. Dhoni will be reaching tomorrow. The Indian team members will be attending the camp,” CSK CEO KS Viswanathan confirmed on Thursday as quoted in a PTI report.

The same report has also claimed that Indian batters Ajinkya Rahane and Ambati Rayudu will be part of this camp with Dhoni set to reach the city on Friday itself.

With the tournament set to return to its traditional home and away format after a breakaway from that trend owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been widespread speculation on whether this could be the CSK captain’s last IPL season. 

The 41-year-old had already hinted in the past that he would want to bid farewell only after playing his last match at the MA Chidamrabam Stadium which happens to the franchise’s home ground and with this season providing him the opportunity to do that he could indeed bid farewell.

The last few seasons haven’t been the best as far as his personal form is concerned with CSK also finishing second last in the previous season of the tournament which saw Ravindra Jadeja lead the team initially before the leadership baton was handed back to Dhoni.

(With inputs from PTI)