MS Dhoni, the iconic captain who guided CSK to five IPL victories, unexpectedly decided to resign as captain. This was a shocking development for both players and fans of the Chennai Super Kings. The news was released just before the 2024 season, which might be his final one in the league.
A day before the tournament’s first matchup against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the legendary wicketkeeper-batter met his colleagues to share some heartbreaking news.
“A tremendous amount of tears”—Stephen Fleming
Even though there had been talk that Dhoni would give up the captaincy in the upcoming seasons, most people were surprised by the announcement. In order to devote all of his attention to his batting and wicket-keeping responsibilities, the 42-year-old stated that young Ruturaj Gaikwad would assume the duty of guiding CSK. Head coach Stephen Fleming said that many people in the locker room were experiencing a torrent of emotions at that moment.
Also read: MS Dhoni’s post-IPL 2024
“There were many different feelings when Dhoni broke the news. a great deal of tears. In the changing room, not a single eye was dry. Everybody was touched. Fleming told NDTV Sports, “We weren’t as ready for MS to transfer and for a change in leadership the last time (when CSK changed the captain).
The passages from Fleming encapsulate the closeness that Dhoni has with his teammates.
Previously, he had also relinquished his captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja for the 2022 season. However, the all-rounder wasn’t able to lead the squad to much success, so Dhoni had to take over.
Ruturaj is the new face and future of the franchise; thus, it seems like a calculated move to give him the leadership duty. The opener worked with Dhoni to begin his IPL career. Given that the latter is here for this season, Gaikwad will always have someone to lean on.
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