MS Dhoni gives up captaincy for IPL 2024; New captain named

In a massive development coming ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024), heavyweights Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have put an end to all speculations by naming MS Dhoni's heir.

Dynamic young batter Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named as the next leader for the franchise and will take over the captaincy reins from Dhoni. 

The news was confirmed by the franchise in an official press release earlier today (March 21), a day before their season opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). 

The statement from CSK read, "MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings’ captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. 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."

CSK names new skipper after MS Dhoni

Ruturaj Gaikwad has previous experience of captaincy, having led the Indian team to a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games. 

Gaikwad made his IPL debut in 2020 and has only played for one franchise. Over the years, he has become a household name, having amassed 1797 runs in 52 matches at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 135.52. His best IPL season was in 2021, when he tallied 635 runs over 16 matches at an impressive average of 45.35.

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Gaikwad's first assignment as CSK skipper will be against RCB in the IPL 2024 opener. 

After winning IPL 2023, MS Dhoni said that the 2024 season was a "gift" to his fans. Now that Dhoni has given up his leadership responsibilities, it remains to be seen if he will play the whole of the IPL 2024 season or not. 

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