In a surprising turn of events MS Dhoni stepped down as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain ahead of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 opener. This news comes just a day before the tournament kicks off with CSK facing off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on March 22nd.
Dhoni has passed the captain's mantle to young star Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad has been a consistent performer for CSK with the bat in recent years, making him a strong choice for the role. He also brings some leadership experience to the table, having captained the Maharashtra team in T20 and List A cricket, as well as leading India to victory at the 2023 Asian Games.
“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's media release read.
The big move has also fueled speculation that Dhoni might also be calling time on his playing career in the IPL altogether. Earlier in 2023, there were already whispers about Dhoni's retirement after CSK secured their fifth IPL title under his leadership. However, he opted to play another season. Now, with the captaincy reins handed over to young opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, fans are strongly leaning towards this being Dhoni's final season as a player in the IPL.
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Dhoni has been a constant presence at the helm of the CSK since the IPL's inception. However, his captaincy journey hasn't been entirely smooth sailing.
In 2022, Dhoni took a step back and handed the captain's reins to Ravindra Jadeja. Unfortunately, Jadeja's stint as captain proved challenging, with the team facing increased pressure. This led to Dhoni making a comeback as captain later in the season. Despite this brief break, Dhoni remains a true IPL captaincy legend. He holds the record for most matches captained in the league, leading CSK in a staggering 226 matches. His leadership resulted in 133 victories and 91 losses. Remarkably, Dhoni is the only captain to have crossed both the 200-match mark as captain and the 100-win milestone in the IPL.
Few days back, former Indian batsman Ambati Rayudu has an interesting take on Dhoni's captaincy in IPL 2024. With Dhoni potentially playing his final season Rayudu suggested that Dhoni might utilise the new ‘Impact Player’ rule to his advantage as it will be difficult for Dhoni to manage batting with the added responsibility to keep the wickets provided his knee issues. The 42-year old has been struggling with his knee issue for quite a time now.
"With the Impact Player rule, he (Dhoni) can take a back seat and promote someone to captain their side in the middle (overs). So this year might be a transition year for CSK. If it's his last year, if he decides to play for a few more years, I think he would be the captain. I would personally like to see him as a captain," Rayudu had earlier said during a conversation with Star Sports.
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Meanwhile, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey also provided an update on Dhoni's knee issue and made it very clear that the star batter won't be as fit as he used to be while running between the wickets. However, Hussey believes Dhoni can still be a valuable asset, especially towards the end of the innings, by hitting powerful shots. The Australian legend also mentioned that Dhoni has been impressive in practice sessions and seems fully recovered from any knee issues.
“He’s preparing really well. His knee seems good at this stage. And he’s batting extremely well at the moment. I must admit he’s like Benjamin Button! He keeps getting better. He’s not as young as he used to be. So, the scampering between the wickets is going to be more difficult for him. But at the back end of the innings, where there’s not as much sprinting, he can still hit the ball very cleanly. And he’s hitting the ball extremely well at the moment. It’s great to see,” Hussey told in a discussion with Sportstar.
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