IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan reacts on MS Dhoni stepping down from captaincy

Ahead of the opening clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), CSK fans were taken aback by a surprising announcement. MS Dhoni, the iconic captain decided to hand over the captaincy baton to the young opener, Ruturaj Gaikwad, ahead of the IPL 2024 season. The announcement came just moments before the captains' photoshoot on the eve of the tournament, catching fans, experts, and even the CSK management by surprise.

The change in leadership marked the end of an era for the Yellow Army, with Dhoni having led the franchise to five IPL titles and establishing himself as one of the greatest captains in the tournament's history. However, the 42-year-old wicketkeeper-batter recognized the need to groom the next generation of leaders, paving the way for the 27-year-old Gaikwad to take charge.

CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan admitted he was caught off-guard by Dhoni's decision. However, he showed faith in Dhoni's decision reasoning that whatever decision was taken by the former captain must be in the best interest of the franchise.

Also Read: Chennai Super Kings appoint Ruturaj Gaikwad as new skipper replacing MS Dhoni

“Whatever Dhoni does, it is in the best interest of the team. I got to know of the decision just before the captains' meeting. You have to respect his decision, it is his call,” CSK CEO Viswanathan was quoted as saying by News 18.

We weren't ready to move away from MS in 2022, we are well prepared this time: Coach Fleming

Even head coach Stephen Fleming spoke about the decision. He revealed that back in 2022,  Chennai Super Kings were not well prepared to let MS Dhoni step away from the leadership role. However, in the last two years, CSK have planned well and have been grooming young players in a bid to find a new leader for the team.

“We weren't ready to move away from MS in 2022. Dhoni has a good sense of the game, but we want to develop the young players for the role. We are well prepared this time. Expecting MS to play the whole season. His body is much better from last season,” Fleming stated.

Also Read: ‘RKO out of nowhere’ - Netizens react as 'Classic Thala' MS Dhoni passes on the captaincy baton ahead of IPL 2024

Notably, MS Dhoni had earlier also stepped down as the captain in the 2022 season and handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja, but due to consistent poor performances of the team, the star cricketer took up the role of captaincy once again.  

Dhoni who is potentially playing his last IPL season wants to hand over the captaincy role to future generations and Ruturaj Gaikwad is the right fit for the role. The opener has been in the CSK setup for quite some time now and has been consistently scoring runs. Gaikwad has had prior experience in captaincy, he led the Indian team to its first gold medal in the Asian Games 2022. Dhoni will be assisting the young skipper on the field throughout the season.

Dhoni has announced his international retirement on August 15, 2020. He is the only Indian captain to win all three ICC trophies which includes the T20 World Cup title in 2007, the ODI Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013.