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Five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champion MS Dhoni has stepped down as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as new captain of CSK on the eve of the IPL 2024 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The news was confirmed by IPL via their X handle. They shared a photo of Gaikwad alongside Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill and Punjab Kings (PBKS) vice-captain Jitesh Sharma. Also, Dhoni was absent in the IPL captains' photo with the trophy.
CSK's official statement on Dhoni relinquishing captaincy
“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period. The team looks forward to the upcoming season," CSK said in a media release.
Dhoni's CSK captaincy record
Dhoni has led CSK in 214 games and registered 128 wins. He has led the Chennai-based franchise in 14 editions. The five titles were won in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023. Under his leadership, CSK have been the most consistent franchise as they have played 10 finals.
Apart from Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja have led CSK in the 14 editions (excluding the two-year ban). Dhoni is the joint-most successful captain in IPL history alongside Mumbai Indians (MI) Rohit Sharma.
Gaikwad's captaincy record
Gaikwad led India's second-string side in the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. He has captained India in three games. India emerged victoriously in two games whereas one ended in no result. Gaikwad-led India won the gold medal based on a higher T20I ranking after the final against Afghanistan was abandoned due to rain.
The 27-year-old Maharashtra batter made his IPL debut in 2020. He shot to fame in the next edition scoring 635 runs from 16 games at an average of 45.35 including one century and four half-centuries. So far, he has played 52 games for CSK. He has 1,797 runs at an average of 39.07 including one century and 14 fifties.
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