With all eyes on MS Dhoni, CSK captain, in today’s match against Kolkata Knight Riders, it will be an electric evening.
Although the CSK is not in the ideal position, as they have lost four out of five matches in this IPL season and are at the lowest point in the table, “Captain Cool” stepped in to revive them.
Although, as per the CSK coach, Stephen Fleming, MS Dhoni was never in favor of the idea to lead CSK again. “He had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if we could, so that was never a doubt. We’ll look at replacements. We’ve got some good players in the squad that have been with us a while, so we’ll look from within first. But yeah, there is an opportunity to see how we can enhance the squad, probably moving forward into subsequent years,” as per Flemings.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni was the captain of Chennai Super Kings from 2008 till 2023 and won 5 IPL titles. He stepped down, and the crown was given to Gaikwad before the 2024 season. Ruturaj sustained a short ball hit from Jofra Archer on March 30 and continued playing two more matches.
“He got hit in Guwahati (vs. RR). He’s been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck,” Fleming said.
After the game against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, the CSK medical team only got the MRI when Gaikwad’s hand swelled.
“So we’re disappointed and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he’s gone to in terms of trying to play, but he will be out of the tournament,” the coach added.
Ruturaj has been the best batter for the last five games. His only disappointments are the top and middle order, which make CSK ineligible to exceed the 180-run mark. With only one option left to bring Rahul Tripathi into the top three, CSK has to play on risk and luck, as Rahul is out of form. Deepak Hooda and Vansh Bedi can come in the middle order, the seasoned and the untested ones, respectively.
The substitute player of the Chennai team could be the Mumbai teenager Auysh Mhatre. Let’s see how Captain Cool brings the best out of the Chennai Super Kings playing XI.
To know more about the CSK captaincy, click here.
