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Just hours before the opening match of the 17th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which will see Chennai Super Kings (CSK) facing Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, MS Dhoni surprised the fans by stepping down as the captain.
It all started on March 4, when MS Dhoni shared a post on Facebook, stating he’s very excited and looking forward to a "new role” in IPL 2024. Details of the same came into the public eye on Thursday, March 21, when the former India skipper decided to step down from the leadership role and play as a wicketkeeper-batter in the new season.
MS Dhoni will go down as one of the most successful IPL captains ever. Under his leadership, the Yellow Army lifted five trophies (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023). With 133 victories in 226 games (CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant/s), MS Dhoni continues to hold the record for most wins by a skipper.
CSK appointed opening batter, Ruturaj Gaikwad, as their new captain, who has a very big task ahead of him: carrying on the legacy left by MS Dhoni.
However, this is not the first time that MS Dhoni has stepped down from captaincy. Read below to find out other instances when the former Indian skipper decided to hand over the leadership to other teammates:
Kohli emerged as Dhoni’s successor when he announced his retirement from Test cricket in 2014
In 2008, MS Dhoni became the captain of the Indian Test cricket team after Anil Kumble decided to hang his boots. Dhoni led India to series victories in New Zealand and the West Indies.
The high point was when, in December 2009, India defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in a three-match series and became the No. 1 Test side in the world under his captaincy.
Later on, India won three Border Gavaskar trophies under his leadership, and India also became the first team in 40 years to whitewash Australia in the format. However, during the 2014–15 series down under, MS Dhoni announced his retirement after the third Test.
Virat Kohli was handed over the captaincy from MS Dhoni, who then went on to become one of the most successful Test captains of Indian cricket. This started the captaincy shift from MSD to Virat, who eventually succeeded him in white ball format too in 2017.
In 2017, MSD stepped down as captain of India’s ODI and T20 team
On January 4, 2017, MS Dhoni handed over the responsibility to Virat Kohli after stepping down as India's white-ball skipper.
Dhoni guided India to 110 victories in 199 ODIs and 41 wins in 72 T20Is in limited-overs cricket. MSD retired from Test cricket in 2014 before leading the team in 60 Tests, with a win-loss record of 27-18.
MSD won some major tournaments and series for India. He first showed his capabilities when India won the T20 World Cup in South Africa in 2007. India entered the tournament as underdogs but surprised everyone with their performances, defeating big teams like Australia in the semi-final and Pakistan in the final to win the championship.
A year later, India won the CB series under Dhoni’s captaincy. However, it was just the start of something big for the keeper-batter. In 2011, Dhoni led Team India to a World Cup victory after 28 years. Ravi Shastri's golden words from the commentary box- "Dhoni finishes off in style," are still etched in every fan's heart as the former India skipper hit the iconic six-over long-on to seal the victory for India.
Then, in 2013, India won the Champions Trophy held in England and Wales by defeating the hosts in a thriller. India remained unbeaten throughout the tournament and won their third ICC trophy within seven years. Also, this remains the last ICC trophy won by India.
CSK appointed Ravindra Jadeja as captain in 2022 after MSD stepped down
MS Dhoni, after captaining CSK for so many seasons and winning four titles, decided to step down from the leadership role. Ravindra Jadeja was then appointed as the new CSK skipper in 2022. However, after eight matches, Dhoni was handed back the captaincy in the middle of the season following CSK's poor showing under Jadeja's leadership.
In the 2023 season, MSD returned as the full-time captain of CSK and led them to the fifth championship. CSK qualified for the playoffs after sitting in the second spot in the league stage. However, in the final, Jadeja came to the rescue and hit a six and a four of the last two balls to defeat the Gujarat Titans in a thriller.
Now, ahead of the new IPL season, MS Dhoni has again decided to step down from the leadership role, and this time the command has been given to young India player Ruturaj Gaikwad.
The seventeenth season of the IPL is scheduled to start on March 22, 2024, and will see CSK face RCB. The match will start at 8:00 p.m. IST.
