Ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has opened up on the moment when MS Dhoni came to him to hand over the CSK reins. Ahead of IPL 2024 last year, MS Dhoni had decided to step down from Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy and hand over the captaincy duties to opening batter Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been a part of CSK for a long time. Gaikwad recalled as to how MS Dhoni, while handing over the captaincy, assured him that he (Gaikwad) will be free to make calls.
“Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I'm not leading this year—you are.' I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?' With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming,” Gaikwad said on JioHotstar.
“But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won't interfere—except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it's not a compulsion to follow my advice. That trust meant a lot to me,” said Gaikwad on JioHotstar.
During the IPL last year, CSK couldn’t defend their title under Gaikwad's captaincy, ending the season at fifth spot with seven wins and as many losses from 14 games. Ruturaj, on the other hand, was bought by CSK during the 2018 season and has been a vital part of the team since then.