No MS Dhoni in Jharkhand squad for Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021

The former Indian captain MS Dhoni had stunned the cricket fraternity on August 15, 2020 by announcing his retirement from all the formats of the game. Dhoni had bid an adieu to his golden career of 16 years, which spanned from 2004 to 2019, after amassing more than 17,000 international runs and affecting more than 800 dismissals in international cricket.

After the international retirement, it was speculated that the retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) is on cards for the former Indian captain, however, Dhoni had put a rest to all the rumours by declaring that he will be playing the IPL 2021, starting from March-April in India. Subsequently, the Ranchi Stalwart has also decided against coming out of his retirement to play in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

MS had a torrid run in the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he could collect just 200 runs in 14 games at an average of 25, with an unbeaten 47 being his highest score. His IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) also had a forgettable season as this was the first time in the history of the league that they failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Suresh Raina to lead UP in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy

Thus, it was believed that ahead of IPL 2021, Dhoni will make a comeback in the domestic circuit to polish his batting skills and help his body get ready. However, the veteran cricketer has decided against this and will now feature in only the Indian Premier League. This can be a cause of concern for the Super Kings fans as being out of action for a long period of time can affect the physical health of the player, who is 39-year-old. It is yet to be seen how MS will move forward in his cricket career. Jharkhand’s squad for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy has also come up and here is how it looks.

Jharkhand- Ishan Kishan (captain), Pankaj Kumar, Kumar Deobrat, Saurav Tiwari, Uttakarsh Singh,  Anand Singh, Virat Singh (Vice Captain), Vikash Vishal, Anukul Roy, Shahbaaz Nadeem, Sonu Kumar Singh, Varun Aaron, Rahul Shukla, Monu Kumar Singh, Vivekanand Tiwari, Bala Krishna, Aashish Kumar, Satya Setu.

Unlike Dhoni, Suresh Raina, who had also announced his retirement on August 15, will feature in the 2021 edition of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, that will run from January 10 to 31 across 6 different venues in India in a bio secure bubble due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Raina will be leading Uttar Pradesh in the marquee domestic event.