MS Dhoni continues to play despite injury for CSK - reports

MS Dhoni risks aggravating his knee injury as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper has decided to temp fate and continue playing throughout the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Still captaining and being the premier wicketkeeper-batter for his team, Dhoni is nursing a knee issue while taking the field without skipping any games for CSK. 

Dhoni was seen wearing a knee cap during practice sessions prior to the IPL 2023 opener versus Gujarat Titans (GT) played on March 31. Back then, the concerns that he might skip the clash with the defending champions were dispelled by coach Stephen Fleming, who said after the match that the legend was always going to play despite talk on the outside. 

That, seems to be the final decision made by the man himself, especially as he reckons the injury isn't overly serious for him to miss any games. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan said the think-tank is aware of the knee injury but there has been no conversation around potential absence from certain games with MS Dhoni. 

Is Dhoni taking injury risk for CSK?

"He will play. It is true that he has an injury to his knee but he has not told us otherwise," Viswanathan was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.

Apart from the training sessions, the hindrance caused by the injury can be seen in the field where MS Dhoni hasn't been at his very, very best in IPL 2023 so far. 

His movements have been limited, which has meant the inability to reach on time to the ones that he would've otherwise aced with the gloves in hand as someone known for providing masterclasses behind the stumps.

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Belying his state as a glover right now is the encouraging upsurge that he has enjoyed with the bat in the tournament. After enduring three tiring seasons, Dhoni has looked himself in the end-overs stages, blazing it away in the final couple of overs to provide CSK the ideal finish to the innings. 

"He is nursing a knee injury, which you can see in some of his movements," Fleming said in the presser after the loss against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday (April 12). 

"It's hindering him somewhat. His fitness has always been very professional. He comes a month before the tournament starts. He's a great player. We have never doubted him. He's just amazing," he added for the 41-year-old, who currently has a strike-rate of 214.81 after three innings of IPL 2023.