CSK to start pre-season camp on March 1; Dhoni to attend too

Chennai Super Kings will kick start their IPL preparation from Sunday (March 1). The management has confirmed that a camp will be underway in 24 hours and all the Indian players will assemble for it. MS Dhoni, the CSK talisman, will also be part of the camp.

"Yes I can confirm that our camp will commence tomorrow and MS also will be part of it. We are expecting everyone to be here by Sunday," Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of the franchise, told Cricbuzz on Saturday (February 28).

About 15 players, all Indians, are expected to attend the preparatory camp that will be held at the franchise's high-performance centre in Chennai. India internationals like Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who are currently competing in the T20 World Cup, will join the camp after the completion of the marquee event. Shreyas Gopal, who was part of the Karnataka team that played in the just-concluded Ranji Trophy final, will also report later.

The T20 World Cup concludes on March 7, and these players will join the rest of the squad at a later stage, as will some of the foreign players and coaches of the franchise. For now, the camp will be overseen by assistant coaches Sridharan Sriram and Rajeev Kumar.

With the outbreak of a war in the Middle East, there is an element of uncertainty over when and how the overseas players arrive for the season. A lot will depend on how the conflict pans out.

This website reported on Saturday that the IPL could start on March 28 as the BCCI is contemplating starting the season two days later than the previously stated date of March 26. The schedule, however, is expected to be announced some time next week.