MS Dhoni during the practice match
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni was seen smashing sixes at will during a recent practice game for the franchise in Dubai ahead of their IPL 2021 tie against defending champions Mumbai Indians. The video, which was shared by Chennai on their Twitter page, was a treat for all cricket fans who have waited in anticipation for the 14th season of the league to resume.
The franchise captioned the 44-second clip as "All arealayum Thala..." where Dhoni is seen hitting as many as 14 boundaries.
Chennai Super Kings versus Mumbai Indians, at the Dubai International Stadium, will mark the return of IPL 2021. The season was abruptly halted back in May owing to a rise in Covid-19 concerns across India.
There were 29 matches played in the first part of the season where Chennai finished second with 10 points after winning five of their seven games. One of their two defeats came against Mumbai Indians, in New Delhi, by four wickets where Kieron Pollard pulled off a scintillating 34-ball 87*. Mumbai, on the other hand, stand fourth in the table with eight points after four wins.
This will be the 32nd IPL meeting between the two sides with Mumbai leading the head-to-head tie 19-12. Mumbai have also dominated in the rivalry since CSK's return to the league in 2018, winning 7 out of the 9 games played.
The game will also mark the return of Dhoni, who has recently been named as the 'mentor' for the Indian cricket team for the impending ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE. Dhoni, however, had a quiet start to IPL 2021, scoring only 37 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 123.33 with just five boundaries.
