Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to MS Dhoni becoming CSK captain again in IPL 2025 ft. Ambati Rayudu

Veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is set to lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was leading the side, has been ruled out due to an elbow fracture.

The franchise made an official announcement ahead of their clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home on Friday, April 11. They have gone back to their former skipper MS Dhoni, who will now be seen as their captain once again.

Dhoni led CSK from the very first IPL season in 2008 till 2023. He stepped down from the captaincy role after guiding them to their fifth title in 2023. Under Dhoni, CSK have won five IPL titles.

Ruturaj took over as the captain from the 2024 season. They failed to qualify last year and have been struggling this year as well so far. CSK have just one win and four consecutive losses from their last five games.

That said, MS Dhoni becoming captain once again could bring about a change in their fortunes. They will aim to bounce back with a win against KKR first up and put an end to their losing streak.

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Top 5 expert reactions to MS Dhoni becoming CSK captain again in IPL 2025

#5 Manoj Tiwary

Former India batter Manoj Tiwary expressed that Dhoni coming back as CSK captain is a good news for the team and all his fans. While Ruturaj was the captain, Manoj believes that Dhoni was leading the side by helping him.

He also expressed hope that this could bring about a change in fortunes for CSK as the 43-year-old has been successful as their captain.

"It is a good news for CSK and all MS Dhoni fans. He was not the captain officially from last two years but he was only leading the side somewhere helping Ruturaj. I always felt that till Dhoni is playing for Chennai he should only captain them. Maybe there will be a turnaround now as he can prove to be a lucky charm," he said while talking on Cricbuzz.

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#4 Murali Kartik

Former Indian spinner Murali Kartik highlighted how CSK going to Ravindra Jadeja as captain in the past did not work and they had to go back to Dhoni. Once again, they have gone back to him as he is a big name. However, he also mentioned that the team has lost a key batter.

"They (CSK) tried to nourish Ravindra Jadeja for a year but that didn't work. The script came back to MS Dhoni. God writes different script for him. This time as well, CSK have to go back to Dhoni because he is a big name. CSK have lost their main batter, leave captaincy aside," he said on Cricbuzz.

Notably, Ruturaj has been a consistent performer for CSK with an average of 42.14 in 2023 and 53 in 2024.

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#3 Robin Uthappa

Former India batter Robin Uthappa had a slightly different opinion on MS Dhoni returning as CSK captain. According to Uthappa, Dhoni coming back as captain will not automatically turn things around as there are several gaps to be filled. He also added that covering for Ruturaj the batter will be something they will have to look at.

“I don’t think him being captain is going to automatically turn the tide for CSK. There are a lot of gaps in that side, right? Well, how do you fix that? How do you cover for a solid batter like Rutu, who seems like the only one finding some form?” he said on JioHotstar.

Ruturaj had scored 122 runs from five games this season at a strike-rate of 150.61 with two half-centuries.

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#2 Aakash Chopra

Former India batter Aakash Chopra spoke about the positives of MS Dhoni coming back as CSK captain. He highlighted that there will be better use of spin, which was lacking thus far.

"There will be a better use of bowlers with MSD coming in as captain. Not that Ruturaj does not do it but in so many matches 12 overs of spin is not happening despite having Noor, Ashwin, Jaddu. When Dhoni is captain this thing will happen. 12 overs of quality spin. There will be better use of Jadeja," he said in a video posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.

Chopra also added Dhoni coming back as captain will instill the belief that things will become alright for CSK.

"You have the faith on someone. You think that with him coming everything will become alright. Now there will be a belief that we can go through the wall as MS is captain. I am expecting they will mentally turn around," he said.

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#1 Ambati Rayudu

Former India and CSK batter Ambati Rayudu said that while Ruturaj being ruled out is sad, Dhoni returning as captain is exciting. Rayudu believes that Dhoni can help CSK qualify from this stage and expressed his excitement to see it happen.

“First of all, it's very sad that Ruturaj, the captain of CSK has been ruled out of the IPL. But all the fans will definitely be extremely excited to see MS Dhoni lead CSK again. He can always pull out his magic and make CSK qualify from here. It will be one great story. So, I am very, very excited and I just hope that he weaves his magic all over the CSK team," he said on ESPNCricinfo.

CSK have nine games to go including their upcoming clash against KKR at home.