Following Gaikwad’s injury blow, MS Dhoni returns as CSK captain for the 2025 IPL.

Ruturaj Gaikwad was unable to play in the IPL 2025 due to an elbow fracture, hence MS Dhoni will captain CSK for the remaining games. On Thursday, April 10, the eve of the team’s home matchup with the Kolkata Knight Riders, head coach Stephen Fleming announced the news.

When Gaikwad, 28, faced Tushar Deshpande during CSK’s match against the Rajasthan Royals on March 30, he was struck in the elbow. Although he played in the following two games, against the Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals, scans have since revealed a fracture.

“Unfortunately, Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to be ruled out of the tournament,” Fleming stated.

“In Guwahati, he was struck. He has been in some pain while operating. We are saddened and feel sorry for him because the MRI showed a fracture in his elbow and the X-ray was inconclusive.

“Although we appreciate his attempts to play, he will not be participating in this competition at this time. For the rest of the IPL, MS Dhoni, an uncapped player, will assume the role of captain.

The five-time champions, who are now in ninth place in the rankings after losing four of their first five games, have suffered a serious blow with the injury. They lose a vital member of their already ineffective top order with Gaikwad out. Notably, in three of the previous four seasons, he has been CSK’s top run scorer.

Due to Gaikwad’s injury setback, 43-year-old Dhoni will take back his position as captain of CSK, which he has held for most of the team’s illustrious history. In 2022, he momentarily delegated leadership to Ravindra Jadeja before resuming control in the middle of a tumultuous season. Dhoni left the team again prior to the 2024 season, but he is again back in charge and has been given the responsibility of turning around CSK’s struggling 2025 campaign.

Fleming continued, “He understands that the team is in need at the moment,” after Dhoni consented to take the captaincy once more. Rutu was among those who refused to go. He therefore didn’t think twice about stepping up to help us get out of this if he could. “There was never any doubt about that,” Fleming stated.

Fleming responded, “We’ll look at replacements,” when asked about possible Gaikwad replacements. We’ll start by looking within the team because we have some talented players who have been around for a long time. However, there is a chance to explore how we can improve the team going ahead, most likely in the upcoming years.”

Dhoni has led CSK to an unprecedented degree of success and consistency, captaining them in 235 of their 268 games overall. CSK won two Champions League T20 trophies and five IPL crowns (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) while he was captain. Surprisingly, the club made it to the final ten times, including four consecutive years from 2010 to 2013, but only ended below the top four in two IPL seasons (2020 and 2022).