Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming revealed the reason why MS Dhoni batted lower in the order in the ongoing 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Stephen Fleming claimed that MS Dhoni had a muscle injury that could affect his participation in IPL 2024.
MS Dhoni remains a crucial member of CSK despite stepping down as captain. He has been batting lower down the order and came in at number 9 in a recent game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS). The 42-year-old cricketer has scored 110 runs at an average of 55 and an outstanding strike rate of 224.49.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was not out in his first seven innings in the ongoing tournament. The right-handed batsman was bowled out during a home match against the Punjab Kings. Dhoni was looking for a golden duck in his recent match. He has also done a good job behind the stumps all season.
We are managing MS Dhoni’s workload – Stephen Fleming
During the pre-match press conference, Stephen Fleming highlighted the importance of managing MS Dhoni’s workload to avoid jeopardizing his availability throughout the tournament. Fleming mentioned that his aim is to find a balance where Dhoni can contribute with the bat in the death overs.
“We’re managing his workload. It’s risky, and we’ve seen it early in the season with a little muscle injury, that if he bats too long, we risk losing him. So we’re trying to find that balance where can have an impact on the match just by hitting sixes and fours, which he’s done quite well and holds up some of the best in the competition, if not the best,” Fleming said.
We are considering some other things – Stephen Fleming
Stephen Fleming stated that the team management needs to manage MS Dhoni’s workload this season. The 51-year-old emphasized that they want Dhoni on the field to provide tactical advice to new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad along with his batting prowess in the final overs.
“We said earlier that when he recovered from knee surgery last year, which was quite debilitating for him, there would be a certain workload this year that he could handle. Now, one of our challenges is that we have a good backup goalkeeper, but not It is MS Dhoni and we want to keep MS Dhoni on the field, doing what he does best, which is the last two, three, four overs with the bat and his ability to share tactics. Counseling with the new captain is very important, That’s why we value other things,” Fleming added.
The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team is currently at fourth place in the standings with 12 points and a net run rate (NRR) of +0.700. The team will take on the Gujarat Titans (GT) in their next match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday, May 10.
The Chennai-based team needs to win at least two of the remaining three matches to secure a place in the tournament.
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