MS Dhoni (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: The whistles were back in Chennai – and so were the laughs. Preparations for IPL 2026 officially began as former India and Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni joined current skipper Ruturaji Gaikwad and the rest of the squad for the first training session at the franchise’s high-powered center on Sunday.The five-time champions have started their camp with several Indian players reporting for duty while the overseas recruits and foreign coaches are yet to gather. For now, assistant coaches Sridharan Sriram and Rajiv Kumar, along with strength and conditioning coach Greg King, oversee the practices.
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But it didn’t take long for the attention – and the smiles – to center around Dhoni.Faced with left-arm spin during the nets, Dhoni was at his best. The bowler bowled a wide ball and instead of simply dropping it, Dhoni stopped, gestured theatrically to the wide-opener and entered into a playful, dancing signal. Teammates, support staff and everyone around erupted in laughter as the 44-year-old reminded that even the pre-season nets can be fun when he’s around.Among those present at the session were Ayush Mhatre, Mukesh Choudhary, Rahul Chahar, Urvil Patel, Ramakrishna Ghosh and Sarfaraz Khan. The franchise later shared visuals from the practice session, with Dhoni and Gaikwad batting into neighboring nets – an iconic image of the baton passing that sent fans into a frenzy online.While Dhoni entertained, Gaikwad looked sharp and fluid, displaying assured footwork and clean timing. Sarfaraz, meanwhile, was seen keeping a close eye on Dhoni’s net session – perhaps picking up a trick or two from the master finisher.New signings Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma also joined the squad and took part in the drills as the preparations picked up pace.This phase of the camp largely features the domestic Indian players. Internationals currently on national service will join later. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who are part of India’s T20 World Cup campaign, are expected to join the team after the tournament ends on March 7. Shreyas Gopal, fresh from a Ranji Trophy final run in Karnataka, will also report later.Earlier, the franchise unveiled its kit for the upcoming season, officially setting the tone for another sensational IPL campaign.platoon: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Short, Sanju Samson, MS Dhoni, Urvil Patel, Kartik, Shivam Dube, Zak Foulkes, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Aman Rahuel Khan, Veer, Veer, Nathan Ellis, Matt Henry, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj and Mukesh Choudhary.
