We need to change our core group, says CSK captain Dhoni
Abu Dhabi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Sunday said that Chennai Super Kings' "core group" of players is set for overhaul after the franchise finished out of the IPL play-off bracket for the first time in 11 appearances.
CSK crushed Kings XI Punjab by nine wickets to end their worst-ever IPL season on a positive note, with Ruturaj Gaikwad's third successive half-century providing hope for a bright future.
A league-stage exit is a first for the three-time champions and one of IPL's most successful franchises.
"We need to slightly change our core group and look for the next 10 years," Dhoni said after the team's final league game.
"At the start of the IPL, we made a team and it served well. There comes a time where you have to shift a bit, hand it over to the next generation."
Dhoni, 39, vowed that his team will come back strongly in the next season.
"We'll come back stronger, that's what we are known for."
The World Cup-winning captain fuelled IPL retirement rumors by handing over his signed jerseys to Kolkata Knight Riders players after his team's victory on Thursday.
But, at the toss for Sunday's game, Dhoni himself confirmed that he will be there next season.
"Most definitely," said Dhoni when asked by former New Zealand pacer Danny Morrison if the game against Kings XI Punjab was his last for CSK.
"(The jerseys) maybe they thought I'm retiring," he said at the presentation ceremony.
Coming back to the campaign, he acknowledged that it was a very difficult one with the team losing eight of their 14 matches.
"It was a difficult campaign. We committed a lot of errors. The last four games were a template of where we would like to be.
Dhoni accepted that team didn't play to its full potential.
"I don't think we played to the full potential. If you are lagging too much, it becomes very difficult to push yourself and come up with performances. Very proud of the way they played their cricket. It would have been very tough 6-7 games.
"You won't want to be in a dressing room that is not really enjoying cricket. You want to keep coming up with different ideas but if the dressing room atmosphere is not happy, it becomes very tough.
"A lot depends on what the BCCI decides upon the auction. This has been a tough year. This is one of the seasons where most of the teams played well."
The 23-year-old Gaikwad stood out again with his fine strokeplay and temperament and Dhoni was full of praise for the batsman.
"Whenever we have seen Rutu bat, he's somebody who has done well in net sessions. But we were not able to see him in games. Then he got Covid, and even after 20 days he was not fit. He didn't get time for us to gauge...
"... That was one of the main reasons we kept going with Faf and Watson. It didn't work. But that's the point where you go with the experienced players."
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Bengaluru: Two arrested for duping man of Rs 48 lakh with fake ayurvedic cure
Bengaluru (PTI): Two men have been arrested for allegedly cheating a city resident of Rs 48 lakh on the pretext of providing high-quality ayurvedic medicines to cure his health issues, police said on Wednesday.
The accused were identified as Vijay Pradhan Chitodiya (42) and Manoj Singh Chitodiya (29), both natives of Miraj taluk in Sangli district, Maharashtra, police said.
With the arrests, police seized 17 types of ayurvedic medicines, a tempo traveller allegedly used in the offence, and Rs 19.50 lakh in cash. The total value of the seized drugs, cash and vehicle is estimated at Rs 23.50 lakh, they added.
The investigation revealed that the duo had been setting up roadside tents across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and other parts of the country, cheating people by offering low-quality medicines for various health issues, a senior police officer said.
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The case came to light on November 22 after the victim, a resident of Whitefield, filed a complaint at the Jnanabharathi police station.
In his complaint, he said he had been suffering from sexual health issues since his marriage three years ago. Seeking treatment, he approached a roadside tent near KLE Law College, where medicines for urological ailments were being sold.
"One of the men at the tent told him that their ‘guruji’ provides high-quality ayurvedic medicines for such problems. ‘Guruji’ was called to the spot and introduced to him. He claimed he could supply premium medicine costing Rs 1 to Rs 2 lakh per gram, and collected Rs 48 lakh from him," the officer said.
However, the accused allegedly supplied poor-quality medicine, which caused adverse health effects, thereby cheating him, the officer added.
Based on the complaint, a case of cheating was registered at the Jnanabharathi police station.
During the investigation, Vijay, who posed as the ‘Guruji’, was traced to Mahabubnagar in Telangana and arrested on November 27, police said.
During questioning, he allegedly confessed to the crime and identified his accomplice. Manoj was subsequently arrested in Cyberabad, Telangana, on December 1, they added.
