IPL 2023: MS Dhoni almost certain to lead CSK, Ravindra Jadeja to remain in the mix

Chennai Super Kings had a terrible IPL 2022 under Ravindra Jadeja before MS Dhoni regained the captaincy reins. The latter is most likely to lead the side in IPL 2023 too.

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It has been a season to forget for four-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022, CSK was initially led by all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The side lost its six opening matches under him, eventually being ruled out of the playoffs contention, while it looks set for a ninth-spot finish. Although MS Dhoni regained the captaincy reins mid-season, it has been somewhat stable but not impressive enough. Meanwhile, it is not being reported that Dhoni will continue leading the side in IPL 2023, which is likely to be his final season after he turns 41 this July.

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Also, ESPNCricinfo informs that Jadeja will remain with CSK in IPL 2023. Earlier, there were speculations regarding a rift between Jadeja and Dhoni and the team management. After the former was ruled out of the season remainder due to an injury, the franchise stopped following him on social media, fuelling the speculation. However, this should extinguish such rumours now.

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Earlier, Dhoni was asked during one of the toss ceremonies in IPL 2022 about his plans for IPL 2023, to which he had cryptically replied, "You'll definitely see me in the yellow jersey - whether it's this yellow jersey or some other yellow jersey you will have to wait and watch." He has always maintained that he wants to play his final match at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium in Chennai before hanging up, which is likely to be the case next season.

Image credit: BCCI

During the match against former champion SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Dhoni explained what forced him to come back as the skipper as he said, "What is important is once you become the captain, you have to take care of many things. And that also includes taking care of your own game. And, with him [Jadeja], his mind was working a lot."

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"It's not easy to control your mind. It's the strongest feature. Body, physiques, all of those things are fine. But, once your mind starts working, and it wants to contribute more, what's the combination I can play with; okay, who can bowl at what point in time. It doesn't stop. So, what happens is the individual cannot relax. Even when he closes his eyes and wants to sleep, the mind is still working," added Dhoni.

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"So, what I felt was, it was affecting his game also. When he was going in to bat, or when it comes to his preparation, putting this burden affects his game? Because I would love to have Jadeja as a bowler, batter, and fielder. Captaincy, fair enough. Even if you relieve captaincy, and if he is at his best, that's what we want because we were also losing a great fielder. We were struggling [with] a deep-midwicket fielder," Dhoni concluded.