The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 schedule is out. As the general elections will be held this year, the schedule for the first 21 matches has been announced so far. MS Dhoni‘s Chennai Super Kings, who are the defending champions, will take on a star-studded Royal Challenges Bangalore in the opener in Chennai on March 22 at 8 pm IST.
While Hardik Pandya is set to lead Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first time against his former franchise Gujarat Titans (GT), the blockbuster reunion of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will headline the tournament opener of the new season at the Chepauk next month.
The most capped player in the history of the cash-riched league IPL, former Indian skipper MS Dhoni will once again marshal his troops in Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) bid to defend the title. The Yellow Brigade edged past 2022 champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the final-ball thriller to lift the famous trophy for the record-equaling fifth time last season.
In the build-up to the new season, MS Dhoni was confirmed as the leader of the Chennai-based franchise for the umpteenth time. The five-time champions named Dhoni as their leader while announcing the retention list ahead of the mini-auction. Dhoni’s CSK parted ways with England all-rounder Ben Stokes and New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson ahead of the IPL 2024 auction last year.
MS Dhoni a nationwide rage during IPL 2023 playing for Chennai Super Kings
“CSK is Dhoni. Dhoni is CSK” Chennai Super Kings local boy now which hails from Ranchi. MS Dhoni is the only player to record 250 appearances in the cash-rich league. The 42-year-old has amassed 5082 runs with an average of 38.79. Thala Dhoni has smashed 24 half-centuries in his iconic IPL career. Under MS Dhoni’s talismanic captainship many youngsters got groomed from 2008 to 2023 who later went on to be part of Indian national team playing 11.
The advice to the youngsters of each team after the match from MS Dhoni is as value as of gold for upcoming talents who wait even if their teams wains or looses only to meet MS Dhoni.
Year 2023 saw a nationwide rage with speculations around that finally it would be curtains for MS Dhoni the player in IPL as fans flocked to every venue in yellow to support MS Dhoni. This overwhelmed support from the fans all round compelled MS Dhoni to return back to play for season 2024 only for the fans as stated by him in the presentation of the finals of 2023 where CSK won the title equalling Mumbai Indians(MI) tally of 5 IPL titles.
All said and done MS Dhoni who was seeing limping all round throughout IPL season 2023, to go back and have a knee surgery to be more fitter for atleast one more season.
Former commentator Sanjay Manjrekar is excited about this marquee clash between stalwarts MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli and has spoken openly about it.
It’s MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli- Sanjay Manjrekar
Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes that last season’s finalists Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT) should ideally play the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 opener.
CSK and the Royal Challengers Bangalore are set to face off in the opener at the Chepauk on March 22. The 58-year-old said that it’s a clash of superstars with MS Dhoni on the one side and Virat Kohli on the other. Manjrekar’s comments came as the schedule for the first 21 games of IPL 2024 was released on Thursday, February 22.
Sanjay Manjrekar told Star Sports:
“I think the champion’s team should play the first match, and CSK deservingly are in the first game. Ideally, it should have been last year’s finalist who should have played against them, but I think there is a good reason to have this opener. Because what you are seeing now is a clash of the superstars, more than the franchises, it’s Dhoni versus Virat, isn’t it?”
In head-to-head clashes, the two teams have locked horns on 31 occasions. CSK has the upper hand, winning 20 times compared to RCB’s 10. One game didn’t yield a result. The Super Kings have won four out of the last five games. They beat Bangalore by eight runs last season.
Sanjay Manjrekar lauds CSK for buying Daryl Mitchell
Sanjay Manjrekar has lauded the Chennai-based franchise for their buys at the IPL 2024 auction, including Daryl Mitchell for whom they splurged INR 14 crore. The cricketer-turned-commentator believes that the all-rounder will make a huge difference in IPL:
“Absolutely, just as there is a preamble to the tournament, that happens in the auction, the mini-auction that just happened, once again, such smart buys by CSK, they’ve got Darryl Mitchell now in the team, and I think that’s going to make a huge difference.”
Mitchell recently amassed 158 runs in four T20Is at a strike rate of 183.72, including two half-centuries against Pakistan. Overall, the right-handed batter has amassed 4251 runs in 195 T20s at a strike rate of 135.29, hitting 21 half-centuries. The 32-year-old has also bagged 76 wickets with his medium pace.
Manjrekar has also backed MS Dhoni to deliver once again as a skipper:
MS Dhoni will be eyeing for his record sixth IPL trophy with the ongoing season touted to be his last as a player in the cash-rich league. The clash between MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli termed as the southern derby would definitely a sold out and a watch out clash for the viewers and the spectators come IPL 2024.