MS Dhoni tries his hand at new Italian game during IPL 2021 training session: WATCH

Having ended the last season of the IPL with their worst-ever performance in the history of the league, MS Dhoni and his CSK squad will be keen on beginning their 2021 season on a more positive note. A few COVID scares in the camp early in 2020, followed by a number of senior players like Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh sitting out the season meant that CSK started their time in the UAE on a rather dour note, that reflected in the team’s poor playing. With that in mind, it seems like the team has stepped up focus on creating a fun and positive culture ahead of this season.

MS Dhoni beaten in the Italian game of Bocce during practice session

In a video released on the team’s official social media handles, CSK physio Tommy Simsek can be seen engaging with skipper MSD in a fun game called Bocce. Talking about the rules of the game, Simsek explains, "The Italians play this game where they throw steel balls. They have one ball that is called the Jack. You have three or four other balls and whoever gets closest to the Jack gets a point. If two of your balls are closer than your opposition then you get two points”. 

Further, he explained that since they do not have the actual Bocce balls, they “use a couple of cricket balls and play Bocce; an adapted version of Bocce. It's first to 11 usually". Simsek also revealed that while Dhoni was a far better cricketer than him, he definitely had the upper hand when it came to Bocce, "I always beat him. He is a very good cricketer, but I am much better at Bocce." 

CSK IPL 2021 schedule: CSK vs DC live

According to the CSK IPL 2021 schedule, MS Dhoni and his CSK side will take on brand new skipper Rishabh Pant and the Delhi Capitals in their first fixture of the season. The match will take place on April 10 in Mumbai and will begin at 7:30 PM (IST). The CSK vs DC live telecast will be available on the Star Sports Network while the live stream will be available on Disney+ Hotstar. Here is a full list of the CSK matches for IPL 2021:

CSK squad 2021

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, N. Jagadeesan, Robin Uthappa, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, R. Sai Kishore, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Josh Hazlewood, KM Asif, Moeen Ali (₹7 crore), K Gowtham (₹9.25 crore), Cheteshwar Pujara (₹50 lakh), M Harisankar Reddy (₹20 lakh), K. Bhagath Varma (₹20 lakh), C Hari Nishanth (₹20 lakh)

Image Credits: Chennai Super Kings Instagram