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NEW DELHI: When will MS Dhoni return? When will he play his next game? When will he be back in a Chennai Super Kings jersey? The questions keep mounting every time CSK take the field.Dhoni was ruled out for two weeks just ahead of the team’s opening match of the season. However, there is still no clarity over his return, with the veteran yet to feature this season due to a calf strain.All eyes were on CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad when he walked out for the toss at a packed MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with fans eagerly waiting for an update on Dhoni.Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel won the toss and opted to field.“We would like to bowl first because the pitch looks good, and whatever score is set, we would prefer to chase it. The IPL is a long tournament and the dressing room atmosphere is very relaxed. The discussion has been around focusing on what we can control, once we reach a certain point, there’s no need to overthink things. So that’s been the mindset, control what’s in our hands. The mood is good. If you look at the balance of our side, we have almost all bases covered,” Axar said at the toss.“Obviously, based on the options we had, I think we’ve picked a very good combination. Compared to last year, the team looks more balanced and hopefully, we perform well today. As for the surface, it has been a good batting wicket this season. Over the last couple of years in Chennai, it has played well. It’s a red soil pitch, so there should be good bounce. Our aim will be to restrict them to as low a total as possible and then chase it down. There are two changes. Nabi comes in for Vipraj, and Ashutosh Sharma replaces Nitish Rana,” he added.When Ruturaj took the mic, the CSK fans greeted him with a loud roar. Ravi Shastri quizzed him on the toss, team combination, and the big question around Dhoni.“The pitch does look a bit on the drier side. We were actually 50-50 about the toss, but it’s good to back ourselves. The aim is to put our best foot forward today, get that first win and get on the points table. That’s what we’ve been trying over the last couple of games as well,” Ruturaj said.“Like I mentioned in the press conference, we’ve been improving in all departments. The batting has been doing really well, it’s just a few key moments where we’ve missed out, and those are the areas we need to capitalise on. But overall, everyone is in a good space and really eager to go. When you look at the balance of the side, we are definitely playing to our potential. It’s great to have Brevis back, he’s excited and ready. The middle order looks solid as well. We’ve also brought in Gurjapneet Singh, who has been bowling well recently, in place of Matt Edwards,” he said.“For those asking about MS Dhoni, he’s at the hotel watching and supporting us. But yes, very soon, you’ll see him out on the ground,” he added.Teams:Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel AhmedDelhi Capitals (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, KL Rahul(w), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), David Miller, Tristan Stubbs, Auqib Nabi Dar, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh KumarHere are the Impact substitutes for both the teams:Delhi Capitals Impact Subs: Vipraj Nigam, Ashutosh Sharma, Karun Nair, Dushmantha Chameera, Nitish RanaChennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Matt Henry
