ADVERTISEMENT
IPL 2024 MS Dhoni passes CSK baton to Ruturaj Gaikwad
Gaikwad finished as CSK’s leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL season
Gaikwad recently recovered from a finger injury; Ruturaj Gaikwad (left) and MS Dhoni (right) / X - @Ruutu1331 and @ChennaiIPL
Ahead of the IPL 2024 season, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as their new captain, replacing India’s no. 7 Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The announcement, made just a day before the inaugural game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), marked the end of Dhoni’s tenure as CSK’s skipper.
MS Dhoni’s time at CSK dates back to the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2008. Dhoni has played 235 matches as the team captain, from 2008 to 2023. His short hiatuses included being replaced by Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja, who captained 14 matches for CSK. Dhoni was the captain in all five IPL championship wins for the team.
Meanwhile, Gaikwad’s journey in the IPL began in 2019 when he was acquired by CSK in the player auction. However, it was in the 2021 season that Gaikwad truly made his mark.
Gaikwad finished as CSK’s leading run-scorer in the 2021 IPL season. With 1797 runs from 52 matches at an average of 39.06, he had scored 635 runs in the 2021 IPL season alone. He earned the Orange Cap for his performance in that season. CSK defeated Shah Rukh Khan’s Kolkata Knight Riders that year.
In addition, Gaikwad was awarded the Emerging Player of the Year award for his all-round skills. Following the 2021 season, CSK retained him for $720K in 2022.
CSK welcomed Gaikwad’s captaincy, writing, “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.”
CSK, founded in 2008, had been synonymous with IPL success under Dhoni’s captaincy. With a record of appearing in 10 finals, CSK had won 5 out of 14 matches in IPL’s history. It is owned by Indian industrialist Narayanaswami Srinivasan.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
.png)
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login