MS Dhoni's Exit

On the eve of the IPL opener, the great MS Dhoni "handed" over the captaincy of the Chennai Super Kings to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on Thursday. This unexpected move is sure to fuel rumors about Dhoni's potential to play for the team in the future. The Indian Premier League announced the news one day prior to CSK's matchup with Royal Challengers Bengaluru on X. Shortly afterward, the five-time champs released a brief statement. Before the TATA IPL 2024 season begins, MS Dhoni has given Ruturaj Gaikwad the captaincy of the Chennai Super Kings. Since 2019, Ruturaj has been a crucial member of the Chennai Super Kings, participating in 52 IPL games. The squad is excited about the forthcoming campaign, according to CSK.

The team needed to make a seamless transition in the veteran player's presence because there are rumors that Dhoni may retire at the end of the season.

After making his CSK debut in 2020, Gaikwad—who has played six ODIs and 19 T20s for India—went on to play 52 games for the squad.

"Every action taken by Dhoni serves the team's best interests. It was shortly before the captains' meeting that I learned of the decision. that's his call, and you have to respect that," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.

Last year, Gaikwad, a classy opener, amassed 590 runs at a remarkable strike rate of 147.50 in 16 games, making it an unforgettable run. In 16 games in 2021, he scored 635 runs, which was his breakthrough year.

The Maharashtra native, 27, has experience leading a team; in the previous Asian Games, he helped the Indian squad win the gold medal. He has also served as Maharashtra's state leader.

Dhoni and CSK have an unbreakable relationship, and even if he won't be playing for the team moving forward, the World Cup-winning skipper is anticipated to play a big part in the organization.

Even in the 2022 edition, CSK attempted a leadership change, but it was unsuccessful, as Ravindra Jadeja returned Dhoni's captaincy responsibilities following.

"This is different, it didn't work out at that time," Viswanathan remarked.

Head coach Stephen Fleming continued, saying in a later media appearance on Thursday, "We weren't ready to move away from MS in 2022. Although we want to prepare the younger players for the role, Dhoni has a terrific knowledge of the game. This time, we are well-prepared." On August 15, 2020, Dhoni formally declared his retirement from international cricket; nonetheless, he continued to play in the Indian Premier League.

The 42-year-old had surgery after helping CSK win their fifth championship. He had played with a sore knee the previous season.

Throughout his 250 IPL games, Dhoni has amassed over 5000 runs at a strike average of 135.92.

Last season, Dhoni pushed himself down to number 8 in the batting order due to knee problems, but this time around, he should bat higher up the order.

Irfan Pathan, a former Indian pacer, recently met Dhoni and stated that the latter seemed well after having knee surgery.

"Dhoni declared a year ago that he was using cricket to provide a present to his supporters. When I met him a few days earlier, he had been playing pickleball nonstop for two hours. His knee felt as good as it had ever felt. Fans are excited because he has returned to his classic, old look. Will we also receive the old-fashioned Dhoni?" With Star Sports, Pathan inquired.

Along with his incredible performance in the IPL, Dhoni guided CSK to two titles in the long-gone Champions League. Up to ten finals were reached by CSK when Dhoni was captain. If his 14 games with Rising Pune Supergiant are taken into account, his IPL captaincy run now stands at 226 games, far ahead of Rohit Sharma's distant second place (158 games).