IPL 2020: Dhoni trains in his hometown Ranchi prior of T20 League in UAE
MS Dhoni hit the nets in his hometown Ranchi before leaving for the Indian Premier League 2020 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain, who hasn’t participated in a competitive match since the 2019 World Cup semifinal loss against New Zealand, trained in the indoor facility at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSA) International Stadium Complex.
A JSA administrator on condition of anonymity revealed that after the partial lifting of the lockdown, Dhoni has visited the Stadium Complex a few times and used a bowling machine to practice on his batting, he batted and bowled in the nets for around an hour.
CSK was the first team to start their IPL training camp at the M.A Chidambaram Chennai Stadium in March before the coronavirus pandemic brought both international and domestic cricket to a halt. Dhoni was accompanied by senior teammates Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and Ambati Rayudu, began training for the Twenty20 (T20) league in December, which was originally scheduled to commence on 29th March.
The JSA administrator pointed out to the media that, “Only Dhoni was allowed to train inside the (JSCA) stadium, with just one other person to operate the bowling machine, both maintaining a fair distance at all times. There have been no groundsmen or board officials allowed inside the ground. Even the person in charge of helping M.S. the train had undergone all the necessary precautions.”
Since the men’s T20 World Cup postponed by a year, Dhoni’s future has been fraught with speculation and all eyes will be on the three-time IPL-winning captain.
The 13th edition of the IPL will be played throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, scheduled to begin on 19th September with the final on 10th November.
