MS Dhoni Leaves the Captaincy of Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad Replaces Him

Summary: Ruturaj Gaikwad replaces MS Dhoni as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings.

MS Dhoni, skipper of the Chennai Super Kings, steps down as captain of CSK, the team he has led for years. The news came a day before the commencement of IPL 2024, the first match of the season between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings on March 22, which is today.

As confirmed by the team management of CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad will be leading the team from this day forward. Fans don’t seem happy with the news, as for them, MS Dhoni “THALA” is an emotion, and they feel the team won’t be the same anymore. This is the second heartbreak of this IPL season, the first being Rohit Sharma leaving the captaincy of the Mumbai Indians.

Ever since the beginning of the IPL, Dhoni has been the captain and the guiding force for the Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni broke this news to the management in his typical style, on a phone call. While speaking to his team members, he announced this news at the breakfast table, and it was his decision to handover the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

CSK has won five IPL titles under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, the most by any team, alongside the Mumbai Indians. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the new captain of the Chennai Super Kings, made his debut for the team in 2019. He has also played 19 T20s and 6 ODIs for Team India. The last season was memorable for Ruturaj after he smashed 590 in 16 innings with an impactful strike rate of 147.50.

CSK, in a statement, said, “MS Dhoni has decided to hand over Chennai Super Kings' captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been a vital part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 innings in the IPL during this period."