[Watch] "The man. The legacy." - IPL shares heartwarming video of MS Dhoni's journey as CSK skipper

Former India captain MS Dhoni dropped yet another bombshell on Thursday (March 24), ending his remarkable stint as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Dhoni, who led them to unprecedented heights, captained the franchise for 12 seasons. He is also the only IPL skipper to lead his franchise in the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons. He also led CSK to nine finals, winning four of them in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021.

He handed over the franchise's leadership reign to Ravindra Jadeja. Later, the IPL's official Twitter handle posted a video to pay tribute to the incredible journey that the Ranchi cricketer had while leading CSK.

Watch the video here:

Following the development, the franchise released an official statement as well which read:

"MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond."

MS Dhoni led Chennai to 121 victories in 204 outings. His win percentage of 59.60 is marginally bettered by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma (59.68).

MS Dhoni led CSK to unprecedented heights during his tenure

Meanwhile, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan revealed that MS Dhoni had been thinking about passing on the captaincy baton. He felt that it was the right time to do so.

"MS Dhoni was thinking about it. He felt it is the right time to hand over captaincy to Jaddu (Jadeja). He feels Jaddu is also in prime form of his career and it is the ideal time for him to lead CSK. What will be good for the franchise must be (in the) back of his mind.” Viswanathan said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo

This is not the first time that the legendary wicketkeeper-batter has taken everyone by surprise with his decision-making.

Back in 2014, the former Indian cricketer sent shockwaves around the cricket fraternity by relinquishing the Test captaincy and also retiring from the longest format.

Then, in 2020, the 2011 World Cup-winning skipper called time on his international career with an emotional video on his Instagram account.

After leading the Super Kings to yet another title last year, MS Dhoni had promised his fans that he would be returning to the IPL next season. But no one would have predicted that he wouldn't lead the side anymore.

With this development, Dhoni's stint as white-ball skipper in both international and franchise cricket has come to an end.

He made his debut as white-ball skipper during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007. After winning that trophy, Dhoni rose to unprecedented heights as both India and CSK skipper during this 14-year period.

He led India to three ICC titles - the T20 World Cup 2007, the 50-over World Cup 2011, and the 2013 Champions Trophy. He also won four IPL titles and two Champions League T20 trophies.

His peak as a white-ball skipper came during the 12-month period between 2010 and 11. He not only won back-to-back IPL titles and Champions League T20 but also the 50-over World Cup during that time.

With Dhoni no longer the skipper, it is truly the end of an era. It will be a herculean task for his successor Jadeja to match up to the levels that he has set.