 "Ruturaj Gaikwad takes over the reins of the Chennai Super Kings from MS Dhoni in the 17th season of the Indian Premier League. Sportzpics")
Besides being one of the greatest captains in the history of the game as well as a legendary wicketkeeper-batter, MS Dhoni is known for his habit of dropping bombshells from time to time. Whether it was his sudden resignation from Test captaincy midway into the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, quitting leadership from all formats for India in January 2017 or announcing his international retirement from out of the blue with an Instagram post on Independence Day in 2020.
On Thursday, on the eve of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as their new skipper with Dhoni stepping down from the role for the second time in three seasons. MSD, who has led the Super Kings since the league’s inception in 2008 barring the 2016 and 2017 seasons, had handed the reins of the team over to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the 2022 season, only to assume charge once again when the team’s fortunes began to nosedive at an alarming rate.
This time, however, there appears to be an air of finality over Dhoni’s decision to hand charge to Gaikwad, who not only has age on his side at the age of 27 but is also a wicketkeeper-batter like the 2011 ICC World Cup-winning captain.
Dhoni was widely believed to have played his last season in 2023 after leading CSK to their fifth title, defeating Gujarat Titans in the final. But his decision to continue playing while handing captaincy to Gaikwad indicates his desire to mentor the Maharashtra keeper-batter on the field for a year or two before finally hanging up his boots for good.
Thursday’s announcement understandably sent shockwaves across cricket circles, especially in India and especially among CSK’s vast legion of faithful supporters.
Here are select reactions to the bombshell announcement: