• Source:JND
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Keeping up with the young lads at 42 is not easy for many but legendary MS Dhoni does not find it difficult to stay competitive in his last few playing years. Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain is as fit as any other top Indian player including Virat Kohli despite only playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for an odd 70 days in a year.

Ahead of the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Dhoni gave insights about his 'absurd' routine which he follows before the start of the tournament to stay fresh throughout the competition. Last year, Dhoni guided his side to the record-equalling fifth IPL title while in the ongoing edition, under Ruturaj Gaikwad's leadership, CSK remain the contender for the trophy.

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Revealing about his daily routine during the IPL, Dhoni shared his sleeping habit which others find 'absurd'. According to Dhoni, he sleeps from 3 AM to 11 AM to cope up with match timings and early flights.

"According to some of them, it was one of the most absurd time-table one could have but over the years it only helped me. Five-seven days before the IPL starts, I would start thinking like that and I would start training my mind like that. The plus point we had that we used to try to catch the flight that was after 12," Dhoni said in a video posted on Star Sports' X handle.

CSK wicketkeeper added that the routine worked for him over the years to stay fresh during the IPL window.

"What I used to do is that I would sleep very late because when the matches are on, from 8 to 11-11.30 is the schedule, after that post-match presentations then you would pack your kit bag, there would be late dinner. By the time you reach back to the hotel, it's almost 1-1:15. After that you have to pack your belongings in the hotel, leave the kit bag outside and by the time you do all of that, it's pretty late, let's say around 2:30," Dhoni said.

"So instead of sleeping from 10 pm to 6 am or 11 pm to 7 am, I would sleep from 3 am to 11 am. So the minimum 8 hours sleep that I need, that I have to do for sure. I was always well-rested at night, never felt fatigued after the IPL got over," he added.

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In the limited opportunities that he had in eight games, Dhoni added 91 runs to his tally including eight sixes and as many four. He batted with a blasting strike rate of 260.00 to show his muscle-hitting power in the tournament so far.