A fan army page of Chennai Super Kings have voiced their demand to the BCCI, asking for a CSK fixture to be scheduled in Ranchi, in honour of their skipper MS Dhoni.
The announcement of the fixtures for the first phase of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League has spiked up the already high excitement around the tournament. The 2024 IPL will see the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings face off against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening match on March 22, 2024.
With the new season of IPL coming up, the excitement around fans about seeing MS Dhoni returning to competitive cricket has also amped up. Dhoni’s huge fanbase will have a special focus on the upcoming season of the tournament, because of the high chances of this being a last for the 41-year-old.
Dhoni has enjoyed a phenomenal IPL career, where he guided CSK to five IPL titles, making him the joint most successful captain in the history of the tournament. The wicketkeeper-batter has an emphatic 5082 runs in his 250 IPL appearances, boasting a strike rate of 135.91.
However, Dhoni enjoyed more of an occasional role in his last two seasons with CSK, often sparking speculation about his retirement from the tournament.
To top off the already high excitement, the Whistle Podu fan army recently took to X, asking BCCI and the IPL management to grant the opportunity of seeing MS Dhoni take the field at the JSCA International stadium in Ranchi.
“Dear @BCCI, @IPL…How about a @ChennaiIPL match in Ranchi?. It would be an awesome experience for all fans to see Thala step out and lead CSK in an IPL game this year in #Ranchi. Please make it happen.” The post read.
The prospect of Dhoni playing one of his last IPL games in his home stadium in Ranchi, will surely be a fitting end to the batter’s glorious chapter. During the 2014 IPL, CSK played a few home matches in Ranchi.
After clinching the 2023 title, Dhoni hinted that he would return for “another IPL”, under the shadow of it being the last time.
“Circumstantially, this is the best time to announce my retirement. But the amount of love I have received all over, the easy thing would be to walk away from here, but the harder thing would be to work hard for nine months and try to play another IPL,” Dhoni said in 2023.
The first-phase fixtures of IPL 2024 do not see the defending champions travelling to MS Dhoni’s home town, but the fans will cling to their hopes until the second-phase fixtures come out.
