Former Indian cricketer Ravi Shashtri has opined that the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season will be the last time we see MS Dhoni take the field, especially after the latter handed over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad. 

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The decision to pass on the captaincy armband was announced on the eve of CSK’s opening match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), earlier this month, which took the fans by surprise. 

“This is MS Dhoni’s last season okay, very clear. You know depends how his body copes with everything, whether he plays the whole season or doesn’t play the whole season, only time will tell,” Shastri told the host broadcaster. 

Asked to decode why Dhoni had given up on captaincy, Shastri said he wanted to ease the process for Gaikwad. 

“But what he has done is that he said, I don’t want to give the job to Ruturaj halfway through the tournament. Be in the hot seat from the outside, I am watching from the back, if he needs some help I’m there to help him out but I think as compared to the year when Jadeja was captain, MS will take more and more of the backseat and probably contribute just in a little way between the drinks break or something like that,” Shastri added.

ALSO READ | IPL 2024: ‘MS Dhoni’s six will finish match vs DC,’ predicts CSK batting coach Michael Hussey

What did CSK announce?

Akin to the way MS Dhoni has made such announcements in the past, CSK released a statement and informed about the change in guard. 

“MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024,” CSK said in an official statement.

“Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period. The team looks forward to the upcoming season,” it added. 

Dhoni guided CSK to a record-equalling fifth title last season despite suffering from a wobbly knee throughout the tournament. At the time, many wondered if it would be the last swansong for him but the former Indian captain said he would return the next year. 

CSK squad for IPL 2024: MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Avanish Rao Aravelly, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shaik Rasheed, Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Choudhary

You can now write for Baazigarnews.com and be a part of the Baazigar family. Share your stories and opinions with us here.