In the traditional photo of the captain holding the IPL trophy before the start of the tournament, Gaikwad replaced Dhoni to represent CSK, who are expected to play their last season in the cash-rich league. Today MS Dhoni steps down as csk captain ahead of the clash between RCB and CSK.
Chennai: MS Dhoni has handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was groomed to take over the captaincy in recent times.
The announcement came on the eve of the IPL and Gaikwad, who played 52 matches for CSK, attended the IPL captains meeting in Chennai on Thursday.
This is Dhoni’s second stint as quitting captaincy, the first being in 2022 when he handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja. But the team did not do as well that year and Dhoni sacked him at the end of the season.
Dhoni, 41, will continue to play in this IPL, but that could mean he could retire at the end of the season.
Under Dhoni, CSK won five IPL titles and now Gaikwad has been tasked with continuing that legacy.
CSK said Dhoni has decided to give the opening batsman a key role.
“MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the start of IPL 2024,” CSK said in a statement.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MS Dhoni hands over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. #WhistlePodu #Yellove
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 21, 2024
“Ruturai has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in the IPL during this period,” he added. The team is looking forward to the upcoming season.”
Gaikwad has been with the Chennai franchise since the 2020 season and made his IPL debut this year. He played 52 matches for CSK and scored 1,797 runs with one century and 14 fifties.
In the last tournament, he scored 590 runs in 16 games at an excellent average of 42.14.
He has played six ODIs and 19 T20Is for India over the years.
In a pivotal role, Gaikwad led the second Indian team to a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞!
The #TATAIPL is here and WE are ready to ROCK & ROLL 🎉🥳🥁
Presenting the 9 captains with PBKS being represented by vice-captain Jitesh Sharma. pic.twitter.com/v3fyo95cWI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 21, 2024
Dhoni, meanwhile, said goodbye to his captaincy after winning five titles, the last of which came in The wicketkeeper and batsman is the most successful captain in the history of the tournament and has the most wins to his name. Dhoni has captained 226 IPL matches, winning 133 of them at a winning percentage of
On Wednesday, Dhoni’s former teammate Suresh Raina pressurized Gaikwad to be the next CSK captain after the veteran’s departure.
“The biggest question is who will be their next captain? Whether Dhoni steps down as captain, as a mental toughness coach, or just for his presence, he will stay with the duo. But the question is who will replace him? For CSK. Who has multiple sclerosis eyes? Ruturaj Gaikwad is a good choice. This is a very important year for CSK, even more than MS Dhoni,” Raina told JioCinema about CSK.
We’ll see who he picks as his assistant and he will say, “Take care now, I’ve been looking after the team since 2008. You take care of the yellow, I sit down and put on the t-shirt.” Jersey.’ In the locker room. Now it’s going to be important to see what his plans are for the future. He’s 42. I want him to play five more years or at least two or three years”, he added.
