Ruturaj Gaikwad appointed as CSK captain as MS Dhoni steps down

MS Dhoni Steps Down from CSK Captaincy

In the latest developments, MS Dhoni has stepped down from the CSK captaincy just a day before the season opener match against RCB in Chennai. The baton has been passed on to the top-order batsman, Ruturaj Gaikwad. Gaikwad was regarded as the top contender to carry the legacy of Dhoni as he has been a reliable batter for the team.

Dhoni has led CSK since the start of the IPL in 2008. He has captained the side in 212 matches so far in which he won 128 and lost 82. He finished off with a record-equalling 5th IPL title win last year.

Ruturaj Gaikwad IPL and International Career

CSK bought Gaikwad in the 2019 auction at a base price of INR 20 lakhs and he has been quite impressive which resulted in his inclusion in the Indian white-ball team as well.

Gaikwad has been part of CSK since the 2020 edition and in 2021, he won the orange cap by finishing as the highest run scorer of the season. He smashed 635 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.35. Overall he has scored 1797 runs in 52 matches at a strike rate of 135.52.

He made his T20I debut for India in 2021 and has scored 500 runs in 19 T20Is at an average of 35.71. He is looked upon as a reliable batsman to open the innings and can be backed for the same position in the future along with Yashasvi Jaiswal or Shubman Gill.

What CSK has to say

The team management has released a statement on their official website regarding the same. The statement said, “MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings' captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of 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.”

This will be CSK’s second attempt to hand over the reins as they appointed Ravindra Jadeja as captain in the IPL 2022 season but was later removed as the team did not perform well under his captaincy and his own performance was taking a toll.

CSK will kick-off their IPL 2024 campaign against RCB in the season opener match at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on 22nd March 2024.