Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni was spotted wearing the belt around his waist during the ongoing IPL 2024 clash against Rajasthan Royals at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 12.
Chennai Super Kings are playing their final home against Rajasthan Royals and will be looking to end their home game for one last time on a positive note. Also, it is likely to be MS Dhoni's final appearance in Chennai as he will likely to retire after IPL 2024. The 42-year-old might play at Chepauk if Chennai Super Kings qualify for the playoffs and reach the final.
During the match, Dhoni was seen adjusting his belt around the waist behind the wicket during the breaks between overs. The picture of the same went viral on social media.
It has been suggested that MS Dhoni is having a back pain and thus, he was wearing the belt to alleviate discomfort during the game. He wore the belt while walking to bat in CSK's last outing against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. The franchise's official X handle (formerly Twitter) shared the picture of Dhoni, wherein he was carrying the waist belt in his hand while heading towards the dressing room.
Along with the picture, CSK captioned, "Despite his old age.. Despite the pain.. Despite the reduced strength.. A hero never stops wielding his sword!"
Even when he was playing for Team India, MS Dhoni used to often wear the belt around his waist while keeping behind the wickets.
Apart from his back pain, it has been reported that MS Dhoni is playing the ongoing IPL season with a muscle tear and thus, he refrained himself from batting up the order and hindered him to stay at the crease for too long. In the last match against Gujarat Titans, Dhoni walked to bat at No.8 after Shivam Dube's dismissal at 165/6.
Though CSK were losing, MS Dhoni didn't disappoint the fans as he treated them with three sixes and a four while playing an unbeaten innings of 26 off 11 balls at a strike rate of 236.36.
In IPL 2024, MS Dhoni has aggregated 136 at an average of 68 and an impressive strike rate of 226.67 in eight innings.
