MS Dhoni knee injury update: Four-time Indian Premier League (IPL) winner Mahendra Singh Dhoni returned to action on Friday (March 31). The 41-year-old wicket-keeper led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against defending champion Gujarat Titans in IPL 2023 tournament opener at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. But he failed to get Chennai Super Kings (CSK) off to a winning start in the tournament as defending champions Gujarat Titans chased down the 179-run target inside 19.2 overs to win the match by five wickets.
Ahead of CSK vs GT tournament opener, it was being speculated that MS Dhoni would opt to skip this match due to a possible knee injury, but he took the field on Friday and played a superb 14 not out off 7 balls innings after CSK were invited to bat. However, during the match, MS Dhoni was visibly in pain as he landed awkwardly after attempting a dive to save a boundary off Deepak Chahar's delivery with explosive batter Rahul Tewatia on strike.
After the match got over, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming provided an major update on Dhoni's knee injury. Fleming said that Dhoni just had a cramp on Friday.
ALSO READ | IPL 2023: Tushar Deshpande Scripts History, Becomes First Impact Player Of Cash Rich League
"He was always playing. Not sure where that story came from. He was nursing a sore knee throughout the month of pre-season, but today it was just cramps, it wasn't the knee. He's not going to be as quick and nimble as he was 15 years ago, but he is still a great leader of the side and, even with the bat, he is still going to play a part. He knows his limitations and he is a valuable player to have on the field. He is a legend," Fleming said during a press-conference.
MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will aim to get their first win of the tournament when they take on KL Rahul-led Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday (April 3) at the Chepauk.