Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a former captain of India, will remain in charge of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023, according to franchise CEO Kasi Vishwanathan.
Dhoni, who has guided CSK to four IPL championships, will be close to 42 by the start of the following IPL season. The cricketer is still an important part of their machine, though.
According to Vishwanathan, "MS Dhoni will head the CSK team in the upcoming IPL tournament."
Notably, the charismatic captain, who had served as CSK's captain since the IPL's debut in 2008, turned over the reins just two days before the start of IPL 2022 to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja returned Dhoni's captaincy responsibilities midway through the IPL 2022 for the remainder of the season after CSK didn't perform well under his leadership.
The world Cup-winning skipper had already stated that he would continue to represent the four-time champions during IPL 2022, stating that it would be wrong not to express his gratitude to Chennai and the CSK supporters in front of them.
"Definitely. The rationale is straightforward: it would be unfair to skip Chennai and refuse to express gratitude "According to Dhoni.
Along with their four IPL championships, CSK won the now-defunct Champions League twice under Dhoni's leadership, in 2010 and 2014, respectively.
Dhoni-led CSK will be seeking to make a successful recovery in IPL 2023 after a disappointing previous season in which they finished in ninth place. Jadeja's relationship to Chennai Super Kings is still an open topic, though.
Jadeja has reportedly stopped speaking with the team since the IPL in 2022 and has also taken down all of his social media posts in which he was seen supporting CSK by donning the team's jersey or attending other CSK-related events.