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Legendary captain MS Dhoni relinquished his leadership responsibilities of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise ahead of the upcoming IPL 2024 on Thursday (March 21). Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has been officially named his successor and will lead the defending champions this season.
Dhoni has been the regular captain of the Chennai Super Kings side since the inception of IPL in 2008. Ravindra Jadeja led the team in eight games in 2022. After losing six and winning only twice, Jadeja relinquished the role mid-season as MS Dhoni took over once again for the rest of the games.
The Iconic player then led the yellow franchise in IPL 2023 and won the trophy for a record-equalling fifth time. Dhoni captained CSK in 212 games and won 128 while losing 82. He is the only skipper with more than a hundred victories in IPL history.
Fans took note of the change of guard at CSK ahead of IPL 2024 and expressed their thoughts by sharing interesting memes on X and Instagram. Here are 10 of the best ones:
"It had to come at some stage" - Ravichandran Ashwin on MS Dhoni handing over CSK captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad
Team India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin analyzed the decision of MS Dhoni to hand over the captaincy of the CSK side to Ruturaj Gaikwad a day before the start of IPL 2024. He opined that it was inevitable and Dhoni made the call in the best interests of his team.
Speaking on the matter in a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said:
"This was an inevitable decision. It had to come at some stage. I know MS Dhoni. He keeps the team at the forefront. He keeps thinking about the well-being of the team. Because of that, 2 years ago, he gave the captain's armband to Jadeja. Now he has given it to Ruturaj. This decision had to happen. Who and how remained the question."
He continued:
"Ruturaj wouldn't have thought his role was only a batter until yesterday. I know MS Dhoni very well. Sitting in his room, enjoying dinner with the youngsters, he must have told Ruturaj last year, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. I definitely think it was not a surprise for Ruturaj. Brother, you are going to take charge. You can do all these things. 'I will be there, don't worry' is something that Dhoni might have told Ruturaj well in advance."
Do you think CSK will win the trophy this season under a new captain? Let us know in the comments section below.
