IPL 2023: At Chepauk, MS Dhoni enjoys spray-painting chairs before returning to action.
IPL 2023: MS Dhoni, captain of Chennai Super Kings, enjoyed a session of spray painting at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which was renovated ahead of the new IPL season.
Ankush Pandey
On a sunny morning in Chennai, MS Dhoni enjoyed spray painting while participating in the Indian Premier League season's preparations from the stands. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni and CSK manager Russell Radhakrishnan strolled around one of the stands.
The Chennai Super Kings will play their home games for the first time since 2019 at the iconic venue. Additionally, the IPL will return to the home-and-away format for the first time in four years. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the IPL was either played in the UAE or in a few local venues over the past three seasons.
Before the third one-day international (ODI) of the recently concluded series between India and Australia, the MA Chidambaram Stadium was renovated with new stands and improved facilities for spectators. Fans of CSK will also be able to use the I, J, and K stands for the first time in nearly a decade, which were opened after years of legal problems.
MS Dhoni went to Chepaak with yellow and blue spray paint cans, where he painted a few chairs. The effectiveness of the paint on the chairs, which were being prepared for the start of the new IPL season, amused Dhoni, who was involved in the project.
On Monday, April 3, the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will face a visiting Lucknow Super Giant team in their first home game of the season.
In the IPL 2023 season opener on March 31, CSK will face the defending champions, Gujarat Titans, at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Dhoni arrived in Chennai well before the new season began. At the MA Chidambaram Stadium, CSK's training sessions have been led by the four-time champion. On social media, videos of MS Dhoni hitting big sixes have gone viral, and fans are hoping for a record-breaking season from the 41-year-old, who is nearing the end of his career.
Dhoni has not yet focused on retirement from IPL however the veteran wicketkeeper-hitter implied it when he said he wouldn't hang up his boots without having the chance to play at home and travel the nation over for away games in the home-away organization of IPL 2023.
