The 41-year-old former India captain played the just-concluded Indian Premier League season with his left knee heavily strapped.

“The surgery has been done in Mumbai and he is well,” Kasi Viswanathan, the Chennai Super Kings chief executive, told AFP. “The recovery process will take its time.”

Chennai edged out 2022 IPL champions Gujarat Titans by five wickets in a last-ball thriller in Ahmedabad that started on Monday and ended past 1:30am Tuesday.

After fevered speculation that Dhoni might call it quits, he hinted he could do “one more season” as “a gift” to fans.

Dhoni is India’s most successful Test captain and has had a glittering career that included winning two World Cups.

He retired from international duty in 2020 but continued with the IPL, albeit with a bad knee and some lacklustre batting performances this term.

On Thursday, a source at Mumbai’s Kokilaben hospital told the Press Trust of India that Dhoni had successful surgery and would likely be released “in a day or two”.

“He would be resting for a few days before his extensive rehabilitation starts,” it said.

“It is now expected that he would have enough time to get fit to play in the next IPL,” the report added.