MS Dhoni Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have named Ruturaj Gaikwad as the new captain after Mahendra Singh Dhoni resigned as captain due to poor form.
The announcement came as a surprise to CSK fans as the IPL team has won five IPL titles under Dhoni’s leadership and is the ‘Thalaiva’ (Tamil leader). “Captain unveiling @ChennaiIPL – @Ruutu1331,” wrote IPL on Stage X, soon after posting a photo of all the captains posing with the IPL trophy.
Presenting @ChennaiIPL's Captain – @Ruutu1331 🙌🙌#TATAIPL pic.twitter.com/vt77cWXyBI
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 21, 2024
Born in 1997, Ruturaj made his debut in IPL 2020 and quickly established himself as a force. He retained CSK for the 2022 edition for Rs 6 crore.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MS Dhoni hands over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. #WhistlePodu #Yellove
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 21, 2024
The Super Kings were led by Ruturaj Gaikwad before the start of the TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in the IPL during this season. The team is looking forward to the next season.
Dhoni is the most successful captain in the IPL with 133 wins, followed by Rohit Sharma with 87 wins.
The opener had a memorable run last year, amassing 590 runs in 16 matches with an impressive strike rate of 147.50.
With Dhoni set to retire from the game, the ownership is expected to let Dhoni as a player, PTI reported on May 21.
Friday’s opener will be followed by a 21-game, 10-city doubleheader on April 7. The BCCI is expected to announce the remaining schedule soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are announced.
Dhoni is the most successful captain in the IPL with 133 wins, followed by Rohit Sharma with 87 wins.
The opener had a memorable run last year, amassing 590 runs in 16 matches with an impressive strike rate of 147.50.
With Dhoni set to retire from the game, the ownership is expected to let Dhoni play as a player, PTI reported on May 21.
Friday’s opener will be followed by a 21-game, 10-city doubleheader on April 7. The BCCI is expected to announce the remaining schedule soon after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections are announced.
First match in Chennai
IPL 2024 will be played at MA Chidambaram in Chennai, the home of Dhoni’s CSK, who have played 46 IPL matches at MA Chidambaram and won 18 matches. RCB will look to start the 2024 season with an away win and kick off the campaign with a victory. CSK have won five IPL titles so far and have tied that record with Mumbai Indians, and they want to win their sixth title against RCB.
CSK vs RCB: Likely playing eleven
RCB will continue to rely on Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis to open the match, with Cameron Green coming in at the crucial third position. RCB’s middle order can be filled by Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, and Mahipal Lomror. Dinesh Karthik is expected to be behind the stumps. Karn Sharma will be the team’s wicketkeeper, and Alzarri Joseph and Mohammed Siraj should provide support in the pace department.
For CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra are expected to open the opening match in the absence of Devon Conway, while Ajinkya Rahane will play at number three. Shivam Dube performed well in the T20 series against Afghanistan, and Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, and Mitchell Santner will look to fill the middle slot.
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (captain), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Mahesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Faf Du Plessis (captain) Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Saurav Chauhan, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Cameron Green, Swapnil Singh, Mayank Dagar, Manoj Bhandage, Akash Deep, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Siraj, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Vyshak Vijay Kumar.