Legendary cricketer MS Dhoni is gearing up for his emotional return to the Chepauk in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will play their first full IPL season in their den since 2019. Dhoni was reinstated as the leader of the Chennai-based franchise after Ravindra Jadeja was ripped off from captaincy during the league stage of the cash-rich tournament last year.

Veteran all-rounder Jadeja decided to relinquish the CSK captaincy after guiding Dhoni and his men to just a couple of wins in eight games last season. CSK capped off a forgetful season as they finished ninth in the 10-team tournament last season. CSK recorded four wins and suffered 10 defeats in the league stage last year. The four-time champions had last lifted the famous trophy in 2021.

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Sharing his views on the popular show AakashVani, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra hinted that the upcoming season could be Dhoni’s last in the IPL. During a chat on Jio Cinema, he said, “The first thing is that this could be the last of Dhoni. So there is a slight emotional connection about how Dhoni and his team will do. Is this the last time we are seeing him on the field with a bat and gloves in hand?”

Explaining it further, Aakash Chopra said, “Where will Dhoni play? During the SA20, RP Singh had asked a question that would Dhoni select himself as a player in the XI? He batted well last year but will it be similar this year as well? You never want to see your legend struggling. So that is one question that is looming large but Dhoni is larger than life.”

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MS Dhoni has played 234 matches in the cash-rich league. The former Indian skipper has scored as many as 4,978 runs in the elite T20 tournament. Dhoni’s CSK will kickstart their campaign against defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.