New Delhi: Dropped from BCCI's central contracts list, former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni began practising with the Jharkhand Ranji Trophy squad on Thursday amid fresh speculation on his future. The 38-year-old showed up at his home team's net practice in Ranchi, indicating that he is gearing himself for the upcoming Indian Premier League. This was on a day when BCCI axed him from the list of centrally contracted players. "Even we did not know that he was going to come and train with us. It was a pleasant surprise. He batted for a while and did the usual training routine, " a source close to the Jharkhand team management told PTI.

"We are expecting him to train with the team regularly from now on. His presence can only help the players," the source added. In fact, Dhoni has bought a brand new bowling machine for his training. While the Jharkhand team will have their red-ball routines, Dhoni will primarily practice against the white ball. Jharkhand's next match is against Uttarakhand, starting Sunday in Ranchi. The team has returned home after an eight wicket loss against Maharashtra in Nagothane. Out of five games, Jharkhand have won two, lost two and drawn one.