Even though there has been a lot of speculation regarding Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni's retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL), there hasn't been any official update regarding the same from either the man himself or his franchise. And once again Dhoni did not categorically admit that the ongoing IPL 2023 will be his last season in the competition. At the toss ahead of the Lucknow Super Giants' (LSG) home fixture against Dhoni-led CSK, when the legendary skipper was asked if this was his final IPL season, he revealed that he hasn't decided that it would be his final season in the cash-rich league but a narrative being pushed by pundits like Danny Morrison.
"We'll bowl first. The fact that wicket was under covers and it looks a bit tacky, so we'll look to bowl first. You have to see all conditions and venue. For us, Deepak (Chahar) is fit, so he comes in for Akash (Singh). Rest of the team is the same. (On whether he's enjoying the support on a farewell) You've decided it is my last IPL, not me," Dhoni told presenter Danny Morrison at the toss.
This is not the first such exchange between Dhoni and Morrison. In a match in IPL 2020, Morrison had asked if it was the last time Dhoni will wear the Yellow Jersey to which he had replied: "Definitely not"- a phrase which has since then become immensely popular on social media and memes.
Meanwhile, the other big news from the match is that LSG skipper KL Rahul might have to miss the remaining season with an injury which he picked up during their home game against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday (May 1). In his absence, Krunal Pandya is leading the team in this CSK game.
Playing XIs- LSG vs CSK
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana
Substitutes: Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Shaik Rasheed, Akash Singh
LSG: Manan Vohra, Kyle Mayers, Marcus Stoinis, Krunal Pandya (captain), Karan Sharma, Nicholas Pooran (wicketkeeper), Ayush Badoni, K Gowtham, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan
Substitutes: Yash Thakur, Daniel Sams, Quinton de Kock, Prerak Mankad, Deepak Hooda