“All the good things come to an end”- Fans react as MS Dhoni steps down as CSK captain a day before IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad replaces him

Dhoni did a similar thing ahead of IPL 2022 when he stepped down to hand over the captaincy responsibilities to Ravindra Jadeja.

“All the good things come to an end”- Fans react as MS Dhoni steps down as CSK captain a day before IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad replaces him

Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni (Images via ESPNcricinfo)

Just a day before the start of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni once again surprised the Indian cricket fraternity when he stepped down as the captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). In his place, CSK’s star opener Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the Yellow Jersey. The IPL on March 21 confirmed the same.

Dhoni did a similar thing ahead of IPL 2022 when he stepped down to hand over the captaincy responsibilities to Ravindra Jadeja. But as CSK performed poorly under Jadeja, Dhoni became the captain again.

YouTube video
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.
CSK stated

Gaikwad, meanwhile, has been with the franchise since IPL 2019. CSK secured his services at his base price of INR 20 lack. But since the 2021 season, Gaikwad has become an integral part of the franchise.

The 27-year-old played a crucial role in the 2021 season with his bat to help the team become a champion for the fourth time. That season, he scored 635 runs from 16 matches, winning the Orange Cap. Gaikwad collected 590 runs from 16 matches last season, helping CSK become the champion for the fifth time after they defeated Gujarat Titans.

Netizens react after MS Dhoni handed over captaincy duty to Ruturaj Gaikwad

It’s not the first time MS Dhoni did something that sent shock waves across the cricket fraternity. He likes to remain tight-lipped about his certain major plans. To announce his retirement from international cricket, the 42-year-old simply shared a video on Instagram on August 15, 2020. Dhoni, however, hasn’t revealed anything about his IPL retirement plans.

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni (Image via ESPNcricinfo)

What’s not surprising is that something like the current announcement from CSK was always expected by the fans. On X, the fans congratulated Ruturaj Gaikwad for the new role but also joked that they would soon see Dhoni becoming the captain again for the second half.

Check their reactions here:

https://twitter.com/Alone_Aditya_77/status/1770759981752606793
https://twitter.com/adarsh__alive/status/1770773661252714910

Gaikwad has played 52 matches in IPL, amassing 1326 runs at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 135.52. He has smashed 14 half-centuries and a hundred so far.

Dhoni, on the other hand, has played 250 matches, the most by a player in the IPL history. From these matches, he scored a total of 5082 runs at an average of 38.79 and a strike rate of 135.92. An unbeaten 84 is his highest score so far, but he reached the 50-run mark 24 times. The 42-year-old is expected to retire from IPL after this season.

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