As Dhoni steps down from his captaincy role, it also marks the end of era where no Indian superstar will lead an IPL team in the 17th edition of the lucrative league, which commences with a match between CSK and Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.Mumbai Indians also saw a change of leadership ahead of the season with Hardik Pandya replacing Rohit Sharma, sparking concerns among fans and stirring speculation about potential unrest within the team’s camp.
In November last year, Pandya moved back from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise as part of a trade between both franchises.
Both Dhoni and Rohit are the most successful IPL captains ever with five titles each to their names.
Star India batter Virat Kohli had relinquished his RCB captaincy after IPL 2021 passing the baton to Faf du Plessis.
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The absence of star Indian players leading IPL teams in 2024 has left social media abuzz with emotion, particularly stirred by Dhoni’s decision to conclude his illustrious captaincy career.
Overall, Dhoni has led CSK in 212 IPL matches, winning 128 games, while losing 82 matches. On March 4, Dhoni posted a cryptic comment on his social media accounts saying, “Can’t wait for the new season and the new ‘role’. Stay tuned!”
Now, the meaning of that post has been made clear with Gaikwad’s appointment as captain. Gaikwad was the Orange Cap winner in 2021 with 635 runs in 16 matches, when CSK won its fourth title. He then made 590 runs in 16 matches in CSK’s fifth title win in the 2023 season.
Source Agencies
