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MS Dhoni has stepped down as captain of the Chennai Super Kings.
Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken over, the franchise said on Thursday (March 21).
Interestingly, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) made the announcement first, since Gaikwad represented CSK at the pre-IPL captains’ meeting in Chennai on Thursday, before the franchise officially confirmed it.
“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of IPL 2024,” the team said in a press release. “Ruturaj has been a key member of the Chennai Super Kings since 2019, appearing in 52 IPL matches over that time. The team is looking forward to the forthcoming season.”
The transition is abrupt and unexpected, but given Dhoni’s approach to his career, not altogether shocking. On March 4, he sent a mysterious statement on his social media account, saying, “Can’t wait for the new season and the new ‘role’.” Stay tuned!” Almost two weeks later, the true context and significance of the post became clear.
The confirmation from CSK management came just one day before the team’s season opening. The defending champions, the Super Kings, face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk in Chennai on Friday (March 22), kicking off the 2019 IPL season.
MS Dhoni Steps Down as CSK Captain, Sending Fans into Meltdown
According to CSK insiders, the franchise management learned about the move only on Thursday morning, around an hour before the Captains Conclave. “The decision was made jointly by MS and Flem (coach Stephen Fleming).” We, the franchise management, always leave cricket decisions to the team management, who informed us of the captaincy change this morning. “We followed their decision,” CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told Cricbuzz.
It is evident that Gaikwad (27), who made his debut in the 2020 season, was informed of the impending shift some time ago, but Viswanathan would want you to believe that even franchise owner N Srinivasan was unaware of it until yesterday.
“I feel Rutu must have been warned about it in advance. That is how MS functions. He must have consulted him before handing over the reins to him. But we notified Mr Srinivasan just this morning,” Viswanathan alleged.
