MS Dhoni and CSK announced that Ruturaj Gaikwad will be the franchise’s new captain on the even of the side’s opening match in IPL 2024 against RCB
MS Dhoni has handed over captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad, thus potentially bringing to an end an extraordinary chapter of sustained success
Chennai Super Kings on Thursday announced that MS Dhoni has handed over captaincy of the team to Ruturaj Gaikwad. The decision thus possibly brings to an end an incredible period of sustained success in which CSK established themselves as the side to beat in almost every season that they have played in the IPL. They reached the final of the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, where they lost to Rajasthan Royals and then went on to win their first title in 2010. (BCCI)
CSK then went on to defend their title the next year. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma remain the only captains to have won the IPL in consecutive years. (BCCI)
While they would win their title only next year, CSK’s dominance in the first six years of the IPL is testified by the fact that they went on to reach the final in 2012 and 2013. They lost to Gautam Gambhir’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the former and then to Rohit’s Mumbai Indians in 2013. (BCCI)
CSK then missed out on the final for the first time in four years in 2014, losing to Kings XI Punjab in the second qualifier. They lost in the second qualifier the next season as well to Royal Challengers Bangalore and then came a two-year suspension which kept the team out in 2016 and 2017. They returned with Dhoni at the helm in 2018 and won the title that very season, beating Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets. (BCCI)
They then took their title tally to four by beating KKR in the 2021 final. Dhoni then stepped down as captain for the first time the next season, handing the reins over to Ravindra Jadeja. However, the transition didn’t quite work out with CSK losing six of the eight matches they played under the all-rounder and Dhoni took over for the rest of the season. It wasn’t enough to prevent CSK from not making it past the league stage for just the second time. Notably though, Gaikwad made his debut towards the latter part of that otherwise forgettable season. (BCCI)
Dhoni then captained CSK to the title once again in 2023, with Jadeja himself dramtically hitting a six and a four off the last two balls of the match to take them over the line. (BCCI)