Mumbai Indians skipper Hardik Pandya takes the first step to greet former captain Rohit Sharma at the practice session ahead of IPL 2024. This was the first time the two big players of IPL came face to face after the mega trade-off between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians.
Ever since the big news, MI fans have gotten divided as a few support the former captain who won all the IPL cups and the one who seems to have the potential to carry the baton further in this limited-overs tournament.
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As the new season is about to start on March 22, Mahendra Singh Dhoni on Thursday "handed" over the Chennai Super Kings captaincy to opener Ruturaj Gaikwad on the eve of the IPL opener here, a stunning decision that is bound to send speculation swirling on his playing future with the franchise.
In a post on X, the Indian Premier League made the announcement a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangaluru. The five-time champions issued a brief statement soon after.
"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," said CSK.
There is speculation that Dhoni will retire at the end of the season and therefore the franchise felt the need for a smooth transition in the stalwart's presence as a player.
Gaikwad, who has played six ODIs and 19 T20s for India, made his CSK debut in 2020 and has gone on to represent the team in 52 games.
"Whatever Dhoni does, it is in the best interest of the team. I got to know of the decision just before the captains' meeting. You have to respect his decision, it is his call," CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan told PTI.
Gaikwad, a stylish opener, had a memorable run last year, aggregating 590 runs in 16 games at an impressive strike rate of 147.50. His breakout year was 2021 when he amassed 635 runs in 16 games.
The 27-year-old from Maharashtra is not new to captaincy, having led the Indian team to the gold medal in the Asian Games last year. He has also led his state side Maharashtra.
(With PTI inputs)
