Chennai (Tamil Nadu), March 21: Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have announced star opener Ruturaj Gaikwad as the new captain of the team ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, marking the end of MS Dhoni’s long reign at the helm.
“MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings to batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the IPL 2024 season. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019, having played 52 matches in IPL during this period,” CSK informed through an official statement on Thursday.
Dhoni, who led CSK in 212 IPL matches, winning 128 and losing 82, announced his retirement from international cricket on August 15, 2020, after achieving numerous accolades, including the 2007 T20 World Cup, 2011 ODI World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.
Last year, Dhoni led the Chennai franchise to a record-equalling fifth IPL title. The 42-year-old, revered as one of Indian cricket’s most celebrated figures, captained Chennai since the inaugural IPL season in 2008, except for two years when the franchise was suspended from the tournament over fixing charges.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, a key player in CSK’s victorious IPL 2023 campaign, formed crucial partnerships with opener Devon Conway. In the 2023 season, Gaikwad scored 590 runs in 16 matches at an average of 42.14, with four half-centuries and a highest score of 92.
Since his IPL debut in 2019, Gaikwad has scored 1,797 runs at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 135.52, including one century and 14 fifties. He has also represented India in nine T20Is and one ODI.
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to commence on March 22, with the defending champions CSK facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in a South Indian derby at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
CSK Squad for IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni (WK), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.
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