In a shocking move, legend MS Dhoni on Thursday ‘handed over’ the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the IPL opener The decision is bound to spark speculation about his future playing football with the team. The announcement was made on X a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. The five-time champion issued a brief statement shortly after. “MS Dhoni has handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 IPL games during this period matches. The team is looking forward to the upcoming season,” CSK said.
There were speculations that Dhoni would retire at the end of the season, so the franchise felt the need to provide a smooth transition for the stalwart.
Gaikwad, who has played 6 ODIs and 19 T20 matches for India, made his CSK debut for India in 2020 and went on to represent the team in 52 matches.
“Whatever Dhoni does, it is in the best interest of the team. I was informed about the decision before the captain’s meeting. You have to respect his decision, it is his decision,” CSK CEO Kas Viswa Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.
Gaikwad is a stylish opener who had a memorable performance last year, scoring a total of 590 runs in 16 games with a strike rate of 147.50. His breakthrough came in 2021 when he scored 635 points in 16 games.
The 27-year-old from Maharashtra is no stranger to captaincy, having led India to a gold medal at the Asian Games last year. He also led Maharashtra.
CSK and Dhoni share an unbreakable bond and the World Cup-winning skipper is expected to continue to play an important role in the team’s future development, albeit not as a player.
Even in 2022, CSK tried a leadership transition but failed, with Ravindra Jadeja handing over captaincy duties to Dhoni after eight games.
“It didn’t work out then, but it’s different now,” Viswanathan said.
During a media interaction later on Thursday, head coach Stephen Fleming added: “We are not ready to leave MS in 2022. Dhoni has a good feel for the game but we want to develop young players to come Qualified for the role. We are well prepared this time.” Dhoni officially announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, but his involvement in the IPL remains intact.
The 42-year-old suffered a knee injury last season and underwent surgery after leading CSK to their fifth title.
Dhoni has played as many as 250 IPL games and scored over 5000 runs with a strike rate of 135.92.
Dhoni dropped to eighth in the batting order last season due to a knee problem, but he is expected to bat higher in the order this season after regaining full fitness.
Former India pacer Irrfan Pathan recently met Dhoni and claimed that the latter is in good shape after his knee surgery.
“Last year, Dhoni said he was going to give a gift to the fans with cricket. I met him a few days ago and he played pickleball non-stop for two hours. His knees are as healthy as ever. It’s a gift for the fans. Talk about exciting times; he now has a retro look. Will we get a retro Dhoni too? Pathan asked on Star Sports.
“His role has changed in the two years. He is lower in the order, bowls less, but hits big balls and has a good strike rate. It was a small innings but memorable. I don’t think there will be too many That will change this year. He will continue to play that role,” Pathan said.
Apart from his brilliant success in the IPL, Dhoni also led CSK to two titles in the defunct Champions League. Under Dhoni’s leadership, CSK reached the finals as many as 10 times. If one counts the 14 games he played for Rising Pune Supergiant, his IPL captaincy would extend to 226 IPL games, leaving Rohit Sharma a distant second at 158 Contest).
With Dhoni expected to play the full season, Gaikwad will get a chance to rely on the charismatic cricketer in pressure situations. PTI BS AT PM BS AT AT
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