Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni successfully underwent left knee surgery on Thursday in a Mumbai hospital, raising hopes that he will play in the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League next year.
Dhoni, who led Chennai Super Kings to their fifth IPL title, flew to Mumbai from Ahmedabad after the final on Monday and consulted renowned sports orthopaedic surgeon Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, who is also a member of the BCCI medical panel and has operated on a number of top Indian cricketers, including Rishabh Pant.
“Yes, Dhoni has had a successful knee surgery at the Kokilaben Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday. He is doing fine and the surgery happened in the morning. I don’t have details. I am yet to get all the details about the nature of surgery and other things,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed to PTI.
“He will be discharged in a day or two. He would be resting for a few days before his extensive rehabilitation starts. It is now expected that he would have enough time to get fit to play in the next IPL,” another source close to CSK management told PTI on conditions of anonymity.
Dhoni had spent the entire season with heavy strapping on his left knee, and while he looked fine while wicket-keeping, he batted as low as No. 8 at times and didn’t look at ease running between the wickets.
Viswanathan stated on Wednesday that Dhoni’s decision to undergo surgery is entirely up to the legendary captain.