IPL 2024: MS Dhoni steps down as CSK (Chennai Super King) Captain, Rituraj Gaikwad to lead now!

 MS Dhoni steps down as CSK (Chennai Super King) Captain, Rituraj Gaikwad to lead now!

Ruturaj Gaikwad is now the new captain of Chennai Super Kings. This news comes just before the first game of IPL 2024, where Chennai Super Kings, the defending champions, will face the visiting Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk.

This marks the end of MS Dhoni's long tenure as captain of CSK, which started back in the tournament's first season in 2008. Dhoni had previously stepped down from the captaincy in 2022 when Ravindra Jadeja took over. However, Jadeja resigned after eight matches, and Dhoni resumed his role. He led CSK to victory in 2023, securing their fifth title and tying with Mumbai Indians for the most wins.

Many thought this victory would be Dhoni's IPL farewell, especially since he retired from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup. However, Dhoni promised to return for at least one more season if his body allowed it. Despite struggling with a knee problem throughout the 2023 season, Dhoni underwent surgery after the final match. The 42-year-old recently joined CSK's pre-season training camp in Chennai earlier this month.

In total, Dhoni was the captain of CSK in 235 out of their 249 games in all competitions. Under his leadership, CSK won two titles in the Champions League T20 and five IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023. CSK was very consistent when Dhoni was the captain. They finished outside the top four only twice, in 2020 and 2022. They also made it to the final 10 times, including four years in a row from 2010 to 2013.

During CSK's two-year ban from the IPL in 2016 and 2017, Dhoni captained Rising Pune Supergiant for 14 games. In total, he led teams in 226 IPL games, which is a lot more than Rohit Sharma, who led in 158 games.

The Gaikwad fills as the new captain are big because Dhoni had a win-loss ratio of 1.461 in the IPL. Only Hardik Pandya (2.444) and Steven Smith (1.470) have a better win-loss ratio among captains who led teams in 20 or more matches.

The 27-year-old Gaikwad has been talked about as the next captain after Dhoni since he finished the 2021 IPL season with the most runs. This was his second season in the tournament, and he scored 635 runs. Gaikwad, who plays for Maharashtra, has become one of CSK's most reliable players. His good performances in the IPL have earned him a spot close to India's main white-ball teams. So far, he has played 6 ODIs and 19 T20Is.

Gaikwad has scored 1797 runs in 52 matches for CSK, with an average of 39.06 and a strike rate of 135.52. This makes him CSK's seventh-highest run scorer. One of his first challenges as captain will be to decide who will open the batting with him, especially since his usual partner Devon Conway is injured until May with a thumb injury.

Gaikwad himself has just recovered from a finger injury. In 2024, he has only played one competitive match, a Ranji Trophy game against Services, where he scored the highest with 96 runs in Maharashtra's first innings.

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