MS Dhoni in action during an IPL 2018 match
After being exiled from Chennai due to protests on the Cauvery waters issue, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might miss their skipper MS Dhoni when they take on Rajasthan Royals at their new home MCA Stadium, Pune, on Friday.
Dhoni missed the CSK practice session in Pune on Wednesday. The 36-year-old had earlier hurt his back during a 44-ball unbeaten 79 against Kings XI Punjab at Mohali.
Despite scoring a thrilling knock, the captain of two-time IPL champions failed to propel his team to the victory. Ravichandran Ashwin-led KXIP sealed the nail-biting clash by four runs on Sunday.
The wicketkeeper-batsman returned to his vintage best but he had to pay a price for that. While scoring six boundaries and five sixes in his notable knock, Dhoni suffered a back injury.
Chennai have not issued any statement about Dhoni’s fitness so far, however, watching him missing the practice session, one may assume the seriousness of the issue.
Even if he doesn't decide to skip the Rajasthan clash, Dhoni might play as a batsman and Ambati Rayudu will get a chance to keep the wickets for CSK.
Dhoni was under a lot of pressure physically and mentally as his back started to hurt during the match. It was during the innings when MS Dhoni received some treatment from CSK's physiotherapist during a strategic time-out and it was none other than Punjab's local boy Yuvraj Singh who stepped in as well to comfort Dhoni. In a way it was more of a tease by the swashbuckler which rekindled the bromance that the duo had during their International cricket days. Take a look. (Read full story)
