"Just a week back.." Ruturaj Gaikwad reveals when MS Dhoni informed him about CSK captaincy change before IPL 2024

Ruturaj Gaikwad replaced MS Dhoni as CSK captain in 2024.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had a disappointing season in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, the franchise finished fifth in the league, narrowly missing out on the playoffs due to a lower NRR as compared to fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

However, they made key reinforcements ahead of IPL 2025 by adding Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, and Sam Curran to their side and will be hoping for their sixth title.

The upcoming season will mark MS Dhoni‘s 18th in the tournament. After giving up the captaincy last year, Dhoni looked at his explosive best in IPL 2024, scoring 161 runs at a strike rate of 220.

Gaikwad has now revealed when MS Dhoni decided to hand over captaincy to Gaikwad before the IPL 2024. Gaikwad also revealed the advice he received from Dhoni before taking over the captaincy last year.

Ruturaj Gaikwad recalls MS Dhoni’s advice before handing CSK captaincy in IPL 2024

Speaking on Jio Hotstar, Gaikwad recalled how MS Dhoni approached him weeks before IPL 2024 to reveal that he would not be captaining this year.

Gaikwad said, “Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I’m not leading this year—you are.’ I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?’ With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming,“

The 28-year-old shared that Dhoni assured him he would have the freedom to make his own decisions without interference. However, the former Indian captain mentioned that he would offer advice in 50-50 situations, but it would be up to Gaikwad to follow it.

Gaikwad added, “But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won’t interfere—except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it’s not compulsory to follow my advice. That trust meant a lot to me,“

CSK will start their IPL 2025 campaign on March 23 against their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It remains to be seen whether Dhoni will continue to limit himself to the last two overs or move up in the batting order this season.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.