Indian Premier League 2024

'Batting se contribute karta nahi toh usko make up aise karna padega' - Fans react as MS Dhoni spray paints seats at Chepauk Stadium ahead of ITL 2023

Chennai skipper MS Dhoni spotted spray painting seats at Chepauk Stadium ahead of the Indian T20 League 2023.

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MS Dhoni (Image credit: Twitter)

MS Dhoni MS Dhoni (Image credit: Twitter)

The 16th edition of the Indian T20 League is around the corner and all the franchises are gearing up for the mega event. The 10-team tournament will kick start on March 31 with defending champions Gujarat taking on four-time champions Chennai at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Ahead of the latest season of ITL, players have joined their respective camps and started their preparations in full swing.

As Chennai prepares for the tournament opener, the players gathered at the Chepauk Stadium aiming for a comeback in ITL 2023 after a forgettable season last year. The franchise shared several posts on social media of the players toiling hard in the nets, including captain MS Dhoni, who was seen hitting massive sixes during the training sessions.

Meanwhile, a video of the 2011 World Cup-winning captain helping the ground staff by spray painting the seats at his home ground is going viral. Dhoni took some time off from the nets to try something new. He was seen using a heating element to refurbish the stands along with other staff. In a video shared by the franchise on their official Twitter account, Dhoni seemed to be enjoying the moment, and said, β€œDefinitely looking Yellove".

Chennai aims for a fifth ITL title

One of the blockbuster teams in the Indian T20 League, Chennai endured a rough season in the 2022 season and finished second last in the points table. The champions cannot be written off and the same line goes for Dhoni's side, who suffered a similar setback in 2020 and staged a massive comeback to clinch a fourth title the following year.

MS Dhoni and co will look to repeat the 2021 season as they have got a better team this time. There are rumours that the 2023 edition will be Dhoni's last ITL season as a player. If that happens, it will be a huge headache for the franchise to find their new skipper. Last year they gave the leadership role to Ravindra Jadeja but the all-rounder had to hand over the baton back to Dhoni after losing a string of matches.

Chennai ITL 2023 Squad: Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Sisanda Mangala, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Simarjeet Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Tushar Deshpande.

Let's see how fans reacted to Dhoni spray-painting the seats:

Chennai Indian Premier League MS Dhoni