In a surprise move, Ruturaj Gaikwad on Thursday replaced the legendary M S Dhoni as the Chennai Super Kings captain as defending champions dropped a bombshell a day before the IPL opener.
In what has sent shockwaves among fans of Chennai Super Kings, Ruturaj Gaikwad on Thursday replaced legendary MS Dhoni as captain of the franchise for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. An official statement released on the franchise's social media handles read, "MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kingsโ 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," the statement added.
OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MS Dhoni hands over captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.
โ Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL)The news first came to light when a photoshoot of the participating team's captains was posted by IPL's official handle which featured CSK's Ruturaj Gaikwad along with the trophy instead of MS Dhoni. "It's Show Time! The #TATAIPL is here and WE are ready to ROCK & ROLL. Presenting the 9 captains with PBKS being represented by vice-captain Jitesh Sharma," wrote IPL on X along with a photograph of the captains posing with the coveted trophy.
๐๐ญ'๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐!
The is here and WE are ready to ROCK & ROLL ๐๐ฅณ๐ฅ
Presenting the 9 captains with PBKS being represented by vice-captain Jitesh Sharma. pic.twitter.com/v3fyo95cWI
Having featured in six ODIs and 19 T20 matches for India, Ruturaj Gaikwad marked his debut for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2020. Since then, he has become a mainstay in the team, playing in 52 games for the five-time IPL champions.
Gaikwad, known for his stylish opening batting, had a standout performance last season. He amassed 590 runs in 16 matches, displaying an impressive strike rate of 147.50.
Dhoni is expected to retire at the end of the season and therefore the franchise felt the need for a smooth transition in Dhoni's presence as a player.
Most successful IPL captains:
MS Dhoni - 133 wins.
Rohit Sharma - 87 wins.
Gautam Gambhir - 71 wins.
Virat Kohli - 66 wins
End of an era before IPL 2024 pic.twitter.com/yC3qOlR490
Following this news several fans took to X to express their shock and called Dhoni handing over his captaincy to Gaikwad as the 'end of an era'. Here's a look at how fans reacted to this shocking news:
The Beginning of New Journey ๐
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad , Mentor MS Dhoni and Head Coach Stephen Fleming From 2025 ๐ pic.twitter.com/l2jm7W4BlO
END OF AN ERA IN IPL...!!!
- Dhoni not the captain of Chennai.
- Rohit not the captain of Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/BOnJ2UFPSy
THIS IS THE END OF GREATEST ERA.
NO ROHIT AND NO MS DHONI AS IPL CAPTAIN ๐. pic.twitter.com/Alw7QWUJ02
END OF AN ERA ๐
MS Dhoni is NO MORE a captain of CSK. Thank you Mahi for everything! You will always be our CAPTAIN ๐ซ pic.twitter.com/14TEEtbvsJ
Wasnโt prepared for Ms Dhoni stepping down as csk captain
No Rohit , no dhoni and no Virat Kohli as captain of their franchise
End of an era pic.twitter.com/hdH5AqIYdP
10 seasons
5 Trophies for Rohit.
3 Trophies for Dhoni.
The end of an El Clasico Era ๐ pic.twitter.com/7558kVpKyo
END OF AN ERA๐
MS Dhoni is no more the captain of CSK ๐ pic.twitter.com/TOQgD0LeCI
END OF ERA AS CAPTAIN ๐
NO KOHLI
NO ROHIT
NO DHONI
AT TOSS TIME....๐๐๐ pic.twitter.com/qHaHDeHEta
Virat, Rohit and Dhoni are no more captains in IPL.
End of an Era ! pic.twitter.com/kt26gkhHxm
END OF AN ERA ๐ ๐ฅบ
MS Dhoni is no more the captain of CSK ๐ ๐ pic.twitter.com/gmiQ012Vwf
End of an era. ๐
MS Dhoni - Will always be one of the greatest captains in IPL history. pic.twitter.com/UsdMvlMZGb