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Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed as Chennai Super Kings (CSK)'s new captain ahead of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 27-year-old will take over the reins from the legendary MS Dhoni, who will continue to represent the team as a player.
Dhoni has led CSK since the team's inception in 2008, and led the franchise to five IPL titles, the joint-highest in the tournament's history. The wicketkeeper-batter, after leading the team to victory in IPL 2023, said that he'll come back to play IPL 2024, as a gesture to thank fans for their support throughout the season.
The announcement comes in a day before CSK's campaign opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, which is slated to be played at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, March 22.
Dhoni decided to step down as captain in the 2022 edition of the cash-rich event and handed over the baton to Ravindra Jadeja. The all-rounder failed to make a mark as the keeper-batter had to take over the role mid-way into the tournament.
As things stand now, Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the five-time champions at the tournament and the news was made public on the tournament's official social media handle.
CSK officially released a statement in their press release, which said:
"MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA 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 enter IPL 2024 as defending champions
When Jadeja took over the role from Dhoni in 2022, only for the latter to come back to the role, CSK had a forgettable season and finished ninth in the points table.
Donning the captain's hat in the 2023 edition, the former India captain led CSK to their record-equalling fifth title after defeating 2022 champions Gujarat Titans in a thrilling final encounter at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Dhoni has led CSK in 235 matches out of the total 249 that they've played, including games at the now-defunct Champions League T20. Ruturaj Gaikwad will have a huge task ahead of him as CSK aim to set a new record at the IPL 2024 by lifting the trophy for the sixth time.
CSK squad: MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly, Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana.
