On Thursday (March 21), the Chennai Super Kings franchise revealed that MS Dhoni has relinquished the captaincy, with Ruturaj Gaikwad stepping into the role.

Notably, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) initially disclosed this news as Gaikwad represented CSK at the pre-IPL captains’ conclave in Chennai on the same day. The official confirmation from the franchise followed shortly after.

Dhoni Passes Baton to Gaikwad For CSK’s Captaincy Ahead of IPL 2024

“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of IPL 2024,” CSK said in a statement. “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.”

The abrupt and unexpected nature of the change may catch some by surprise, but considering Dhoni’s career approach, it’s not entirely unforeseen. On March 4, he shared a cryptic message on his social media platform hinting at a new role for the upcoming season, which now makes sense in light of recent developments.

The confirmation from CSK management comes just a day before the team’s first match of the season. The defending champions will face Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chepauk in Chennai on Friday (March 22), marking the commencement of the new IPL season.

Gaikwad was evidently informed ahead of time. According to insiders at CSK, the franchise management only learned of the change on Thursday morning, just an hour prior to the Captains Conclave. Kasi Viswanathan, the CEO of CSK, revealed to Cricbuzz, “It was a decision between MS and Flem (coach Stephen Fleming). We, the management of the franchise, always leave the cricketing matters to the team management, and they informed us about the captaincy change this morning. We trusted their judgment.”

While it seems apparent that Gaikwad, aged 27, who debuted in the 2020 season, was informed about the impending change earlier, Viswanathan suggests that even franchise owner N Srinivasan was unaware until yesterday. “I believe that Rutu must have been hinted about it in advance. That is the way MS functions. He must have consulted him before deciding to hand over the reins to him. But we informed Mr. Srinivasan only this morning,” Viswanathan asserted.

Gaikwad brings captaincy experience to the table, notably leading India to the Gold Medal in last year’s Asian Games. He has captained 16 times in all T20 cricket, achieving 10 victories, suffering 5 losses, with 1 No Result.

CSK Learns from Past: Smooth Captaincy Transition

The handling of the current change appears to be more organized compared to the Jadeja incident. In the previous episode, Ravindra Jadeja was appointed captain during the 2022 season, only to have the role taken away midway through, resulting in a significant PR setback as Jadeja left the team before the season’s completion.

Considerable efforts were needed to reconcile with Jadeja and reintegrate him into the squad last season. Fortunately, the incident was eventually overshadowed as Jadeja established himself within the team and led them to victory (their fifth title) last year, with a thrilling finish, hitting a six and a four off the last two balls of the final. This time around, it seems that every step has been carefully planned.

Yet, it remains speculative whether Gaikwad is a long-term option or if there will be a change next year during the mega auction. There is speculation about Rohit Sharma, currently sidelined from captaincy in Mumbai Indians, being a potential target for CSK. However, Viswanathan declined to comment on such speculation, stating, “We cannot predict the future.” Nevertheless, he confirmed that Dhoni will be playing throughout this season.