MS Dhoni's New Monk Avatar For IPL 2021 Sets Twitter Ablaze With Memes

India's former cricket team captain M.S. Dhoni shocked fans by sporting the look of a monk in a photograph.

Hilarious memes were shared after the photo showing the 39-year-old with a shaved head went viral. The image was taken from a video shared by the official broadcaster of Indian Premier League (IPL), Star Sports, ahead of the 14th edition of the series.

The picture shows the veteran cricketer sitting on a log and surrounded by vegetation.

"Our faces since we saw #MSDhoni's new avatar that could just break the Internet! What do you think is it about?" Star Sports India captioned the image shared on Twitter on Saturday.

In the advertisement that was shared Sunday, Dhoni explained how cricketer Rohit Sharma got his nickname "The Hitman" to a bunch of young monks.

While many fans wondered why Dhoni, who is known for his innovative hairstyles, decided to go bald, others used the image to create some funny memes.

Dhoni has led the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) team in every IPL season. The team finished sixth in IPL 2020 after winning six out of their 14 games when the tournament was held in the UAE from September to November due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, a video of Dhoni hitting the nets at a practice session was shared by CSK, in which the team's captain can be seen smashing the ball for sixes. Dhoni has been in the Indian city of Chennai since March 3 and is practicing with the CSK squad ahead of IPL 2021.

The tournament is scheduled to begin in Chennai on April 9. Reigning champions Mumbai Indians will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. The playoffs and the final will be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in the city of Ahmedabad.

Last year, Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by five wickets in the final match at the Dubai International Stadium.