MS Dhoni giving up captaincy usually hits the roof. Fans are always intrigued by Dhoni and CSK captaincy. There was a buzz when Dhoni handed over the reins to Ravindra Jadeja. But on Thursday when Dhoni passed the baton to youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad, it came from IPL’s official Twitter handle. All Chennai Super Kings did was post a 50-word statement on their website ahead of CSK vs RCB IPL 2024 opener on March 22. There was no tweet, no post on social media for over 30 minutes as the world was going crazy.
“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,” CSK statement read.
Dhoni CSK captaincy
Writings were there on the wall. It was just a matter of time that MS Dhoni calls it quits, at least on his captaincy.
However, unlike other franchises, Chennai Super Kings always are tight-lipped on Dhoni and there was no leak or not even a hint from any of the officials.
Yet, the transition happened, as expected, as smooth as Chennai silk. And Thala before he plays his last season silently drew curtains on the most successful IPL captaincy stint.
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MS Dhoni Captaincy Record
| Team | Span | Matches | Won | Lost | Tied/ NR | W/L % |
| CSK | 2008-2023 | 235 | 142 | 90 | 1 | 61.15 |
| RPS | 2016 | 14 | 5 | 9 | 35.71 |
No chaos like MI
Just a few weeks ago, CSK’s rivals Mumbai Indians too announced a new era, going away from Rohit Sharma, handing over the reins to Hardik Pandya.
However, it blew up. Nobody expected the move and MI faced a boycott from loyal Rohit Sharma fans. Even a customary hug from Hardik to Rohit did not melt the fans’ hearts.
Back at CSK, it was business as usual. With CSK vs RCB on Friday, Chennai players went about their practice session as usual. There was no hullabaloo about the transition.
As for IPL 2024, it will be without the two most successful captains. Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni will both play as players after winning five titles each.
