Will MS Dhoni play in IPL 2023 opener against Gujarat Titans? CSK CEO clears the air

Ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 opener, there were reports that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Mahendra Singh Dhoni will not take the field against Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 1 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad. Dhoni was seen wearing a knee cap on December 27 before coming on to bat during intra-squad practice match at MA Chidambaram Stadium. 
 

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan cleared the air over Dhoni’s availability for the IPL 2023 opener. “MS is fine. He is playing. There is nothing to worry about at all,” Viswanathan told Sports Tak. 
 

CSK finished ninth on the points table last season after managing to register just four wins from 14 games. Initially, Ravindra Jadeja led the side but an inconsistent led to him stepping down the captaincy. Dhoni took over the captaincy from star all-rounder but he could not turn around CSK’s season.
 

While Dhoni is likely to play in IPL 2023 opener, left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary has been ruled out of entire season as he is still nursing the back injury which has kept him out of action in over three months. Former Rajasthan Royals pacer Akash Singh will join the CSK squad for his base price of Rs 20 lakh. 
 

Also, their South Africa recruit Sisanda Magala will not be available. The Proteas pacer was roped in as Kyle Jamieson’s replacement. Magala is part of two-ODI series against Netherlands and is yet to arrive in India. It is a crucial series for South Africa as far as their ODI World Cup qualification is concerned.
 

It will be interesting to see if Ben Stokes plays against Titans. Stokes was roped in for a whopping Rs 16 crore. Even if Stokes plays, he is unlikely to bowl in the first few matches.
 

CSK squad for IPL 2023: MS Dhoni (captain), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Ahay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Subharnshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesa Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana, Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh

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