MS Dhoni gave captaincy of CSK to Ruturaj Gaikwad.
MS Dhoni served as captain during CSK's IPL tenure, except for a brief period in 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja took over.
Ankush Pandey
INTRO
- Being captain of CSK, according to Ruturaj Gaikwad, is a privilege.
- MS Dhoni was replaced as CSK's captain by Ruturaj Gaikwad.
- On March 22, CSK will play RCB in the first IPL 2024 match.
Ruturaj Gaikwad:
A day before the opening match of the IPL 2024 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, Ruturaj Gaikwad was given the captaincy of CSK.
After the formal leaders photo session before the IPL 2024 opener, Gaikwad's appointment as CSK's new captain was officially announced by the IPL and CSK. After winning the title in Ahmedabad last season, Dhoni declared he would play for one more season, despite rumours that he was retiring.
In the IPL 2024 mini-auction, CSK signed six players: Shardul Thakur (Rs. 4 crore), Daryl Mitchell (Rs. 14 crore), Sameer Rizvi (Rs. 8.40 crore), Mustafizur Rahman (Rs. 2 crore), Avanish Rao Aravelly (Rs. 20 lakh), and Rachin Ravindra (Rs. 1.8 crore).
MS Dhoni
The lengthy tenure of MS Dhoni as captain of CSK, which started in the inaugural season of the competition in 2008, ended in 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja was named captain. However, Dhoni regained control of the team after Jadeja resigned after eight games, and in 2023, CSK won the trophy for a record sixth season, drawing even with the Mumbai Indians atop the title standings.
After retiring from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup, it was generally anticipated that this victory would be Dhoni's last IPL season. However, he promised to play one more season if his body permitted it. A knee problem plagued Dhoni throughout the 2023 season, and he had surgery a few days after the championship. Earlier this month, the 42-year-old arrived in Chennai for CSK's pre-season camp.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MS Dhoni hands over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. #WhistlePodu #Yellove
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 21, 2024
IPL 2024 SCK SQUAD
MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mustafizur Rahman, Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Ajay Mandal, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Rachin Ravindra, Nishant Sindhu, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Maheesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi, and Avanish Rao Aravelly.
In total, Dhoni captained CSK in 235 of their 249 games across all competitions, helping them win five IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023, in addition to two wins in the now-defunct Champions League T20. Under Dhoni's guidance, CSK's performance was so consistent that the team only missed the final four twice, in 2020 and 2022, and made it to the final ten times, including four times in a row from 2010 to 2013.
In addition, he led the Rising Pune Supergiant for 14 games in 2016 and 2017, while CSK was suspended for two years from the IPL. He captained teams in 226 IPL games overall, placing him well above Rohit Sharma (158) in the captaincy standings.
Gaikwad's shoes will be big, according to Dhoni's IPL win-loss record of 1.461, which is only exceeded by Steven Smith (1.470) and Hardik Pandya (2.444) among captains who have commanded clubs in 20 or more games.
Ever since he wrapped up his second IPL season in 2021 with a league-high 635 runs, the 27-year-old Gaikwad has been slated to succeed Dhoni. With his impressive run-scoring performances in the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Maharashtra batsman has developed into one of CSK's most reliable players and is now considered to be on the fringes of India's first-team white-ball teams. He's currently participated in six one-day internationals and nineteen T20 internationals.
At an average of 39.06 and a strike rate of 135.52, Gaikwad has scored 1797 runs in 52 games, ranking him eighth among CSK's top scorers. Selecting an opening partner is one of the first tasks he will be asked to tackle as captain, since Devon Conway, his usual partner, is sidelined until May due to a thumb injury.
Gaikwad, who is still recovering from a finger injury, has only participated in one Ranji Trophy competition in 2024—a match against Services. In the match, he top-scored for Maharashtra with 96 runs in the first inning.
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