Suryakumar Yadav reacts to Ruturaj Gaikwad becoming MS Dhoni's successor as CSK captain, says 'Can't deny the fact that you...'

Months after leading India men's cricket team to a historic gold at Hangzhou Asian Games 2023, Ruturaj Gaikwad was confirmed as MS Dhoni's successor at the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Mumbai Indians’ (MI) star batter Suryakumar Yadav reacted to Gaikwad's appointment as CSK captain on the eve of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season opener.
 

“Can't deny the fact that you have got big shoes to fill bhauu. But I am sure with your cool and calm nature you will take this teams legacy ahead in style. Wishing you all the love and luck,” Suryakumar wrote on his Instagram story while congratulating Gaikwad ahead of his IPL captaincy debut. 
 

The news broke out when Gaikwad was present at the captains’ photoshoot alongside the IPL 2024 trophy. IPL posted a few photos of Gaikwad with Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Shubman Gill. A few minutes later, CSK released a statement to confirm the development.

“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 release.
 

Apart from Dhoni, only Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina have had short stints as CSK captains. Gaikwad will make his IPL captaincy debut against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on March 22 in Chennai. 

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Surya to miss first few games

Meanwhile, Suryakumar will miss the initial matches of IPL 2024 as he is yet to get the green signal from the National Cricket Academy (NCA). At an event, MI head coach Mark Boucher gave an update on Suryakumar’s expected return.
 

"We are awaiting updates on Suryakumar from the BCCI. We have always been under a cloud of fitness issues but we have a world-class medical team. We may lose one or two (players) in terms of fitness but we have to move on as is sport," Boucher said.

ALSO READ: Massive blow to CSK, MS Dhoni's go-to bowler to miss start of IPL 2024, know the reason here
 

Hardik Pandya-led MI will start their campaign on March 24 in Ahmedabad against Gill-led GT. 
 

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