Mahendra Singh Dhoni promised to return the following season if he is fit, and he has already started making good on that promise after winning the IPL final on Monday night. His knee, which had been bothering him throughout the season, was the subject of a medical visit less than 48 hours after he made the news.
On Wednesday, he was at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute to have his knee treated; on Thursday, he might have surgery. The Chennai Super Kings captain is seeking advice from Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala, the hospital’s director of sports medicine and an expert in sports orthopedics. Rishabh Pant of the Delhi Capitals, another IPL franchise’s wicket-keeper and captain, is being treated by Dr. Pardiwala.
The CEO of CSK confirms the news
“He has gone to meet Dr Padriwal and he is prepared to take the surgery route to recover fully for the next season,” CEO Kasi Viswanathan told Cricbuzz.
Dhoni’s left knee injury plagued him repeatedly during IPL 2023, as head coach Stephen Fleming had recognized by mid-season.
“He (Dhoni) is nursing a knee injury, which you can see in some of his movements, which is hindering him somewhat. But still what you saw is a great player for us. His fitness has always been very professional,” the New Zealander coach had said.
MS Dhoni promised to do his best to be available for the upcoming season if his body allowed it after helping CSK win the record-equaling fifth IPL title.
“Circumstantially if you see, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love and affection I have been shown wherever I have been this year, the easy thing would be for me to say ‘Thank you very much’, but the tough thing for me is to work hard for another 9 months and come back and play at least one more season. A lot depends on the body, I have 6-7 months to decide. It will be more like a gift from my side, it’s not easy for me but that’s a gift (to the fans). The way they’ve shown their love and affection, I think that’s something I need to do for them,” Dhoni said.
