The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Kasi Viswanathan, has revealed that Mahendra Singh Dhoni never complained about his knee injury during the Indian Premier League 2023.
Despite playing with a tightly bound left knee in a cast, the renowned skipper, who led CSK to a record-equaling fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2023, chose not to miss a single game this season.
However, the 41-year-old had surgery earlier this month in Mumbai and is now in recovery.
Viswanathan claims that the management never asked Dhoni if he wanted to play or not, and that if he didn’t, he would have told them immediately.
He also stated that the authorities were well aware of how tough it was for him to play. He went on to say that Dhoni deserved a lot of credit in that regard.
CSK CEO comments on situation of Dhoni
“We never asked him things like ‘do you want to play or do you want to sit out.’ If he can’t, he would’ve told us straightaway. We knew it was a struggle for him to play, but his commitment to the team, his leadership and how the team benefits everyone knows. From that perspective, you have to appreciate him,”
Viswanathan told ESPNcricinfo.
Viswanathan went on to state that Dhoni had not complained about his knee till the IPL 2023 final. Even though everyone could see him trying to run, he never complained.
He also stated that the skipper informed them that he will be undergoing surgery following the final game against the Gujarat Titans (GT).
“Till the final, he never complained about his knee to anybody. Though everyone knew, and you would’ve seen him struggling while running, he never complained even once. After the final, he said, ‘okay, I’ll have a surgery.’ He’s finished his surgery, he’s quite happy, he’s recovering,”
the CSK CEO added.
Viswanathan also stated that the CSK management will not ask him if he will remain a part of the team for the following season. He went on to say that the former India captain would normally call first and only alert CSK owner N Srinivasan, not anybody else.
Notably, during the post-match presentation of IPL 2023’s championship match, the 41-year-old said that it was easier to call it quits on his IPL career after winning the title, but stated his intention to return for at least one more season if his body allowed.
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