Chennai Super Kings, CSK, won IPL 2023 against Gujarat Titans, GT in the final and MS Dhoni announced he will return for 2024, his possibly last season. New Zealand opener Devon Conway and Sri Lankan mystery pacer Matheesha Pathirana have been stars with bat and ball, respectively, in their title winning campaign.
MS Dhoni has nurtured Matheesha Pathirana and stated that he will play for Sri Lanka for a long time like Lasitha Malinga. Pathirana parents and the youngster himself has stated that they liked the way MS Dhoni has been a great mentor to his life. Unfortunately, he got injured during Sri Lanka and Bangladesh ODI series. Now, it is said that he might need 4-5 weeks to recover.
Devon Conway has not been in great form for New Zealand in recent Tests and ODIs but many thought he might find his form in IPL 2024. But the cricketer got injured and he needs 3-4 weeks to recover. Hence, MS Dhoni plans for 2024 would have gone for a toss with these developments.
Now, we hear that Shardul Thakur will be in Playing XI for the first game against RCB on 22nd March. Also, Mustafizur Rahman is said to be in contention to replace Pathirana in the CSK squad. We have to wait and see, how MS Dhoni and CSK management will handle this sudden crisis.