Before the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024), bad news came out for the fans of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A day before the start of the 17th season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) changed its captain. Ruturaj Gaikwad was given the captaincy of CSK in place of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. This is not the first time this season that the captain of a franchise has been changed. Before this, 5 more franchises have changed their captains.
Was there huge pressure on Dhoni?
After Dhoni left the captaincy, questions started being raised whether 42 year old Mahi was under pressure to leave the captaincy? Has the captaincy been snatched from Dhoni? Is the team management now thinking above Dhoni? Or Dhoni has left the captaincy of his own free will. So the franchise has issued a statement clarifying why Dhoni has been removed from the captaincy.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MS Dhoni hands over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. #WhistlePodu #Yellove
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 21, 2024
The franchise issued a statement
After Ruturaj Gaikwad was made the captain of Chennai Super Kings, the franchise issued an official statement on X. This statement said, ‘Mahendra Singh Dhoni has handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad before the start of Tata IPL 2024. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in the IPL during this period. The team is waiting for the upcoming season.’ It is clear from CSK’s statement that Dhoni has made Ruturaj the captain of his own free will.
Dhoni’s performance under captaincy
Let us tell you that under the captaincy of Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings has played 235 matches and won 142. Apart from this, CSK has had to face defeat in 90 matches. 1 match has been tied and 2 have also been inconclusive. Apart from Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina have also led CSK. After leaving the captaincy, speculations have started that this could be Dhoni’s last season.