IPL 2024: Rohit Sharma posts heartfelt Instagram story after MS Dhoni steps down from CSK's hot seat

Rohit Sharma posted a heartfelt Instagram story as MS Dhoni's reign as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper came to an end on Thursday, March 21.

Rohit and Dhoni are two of the most successful captains in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). While the former has led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five titles, the legendary wicketkeeper-batter has won the same number of titles as the captain of CSK.

On Thursday afternoon, CSK dropped a bombshell as they named Ruturaj Gaikwad as their new captain. He became the second Super Kings player to replace Dhoni as the captain. Ahead of IPL 2022, Ravindra Jadeja took up the captaincy role before stepping down in the middle of the season and handing the responsibility back to Dhoni.

There were some speculations of a rift between Jadeja and the CSK management but no confirmation came from either party. In IPL 2023, the star all-rounder hit a boundary off the last ball in the final against Gujarat Titans to help the Men in Yellow win a record-equaling fifth title.

As the news of Dhoni relinquishing captaincy emerged, the cricket fraternity started sending in their congratulatory messages for the former India skipper. After being appointed as the captain in the inaugural season in 2008, Dhoni went on to turn the franchise into a powerhouse in the competition. It is a tough day for his fans to hold back their emotions as Ruturaj's promotion bring curtains down on an illustrious era.

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Whenever CSK and MI lock horns, the encounter is termed as 'El Clasico'. Rohit and Dhoni have played a huge role in making this encounter such a special affair. Shortly after the news of Dhoni stepping down as captain came about, Rohit posted an emotional story on Instagram to pay homage to his former India teammate.

Interestingly, this is also the first time since 2013 that Rohit won't be captaining Mumbai. He has been replaced by Hardik Pandya, who was traded in from Gujarat Titans.

The defending champions will be in action in match 1 of IPL 2024 as they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, March 22. Meanwhile, Mumbai will start their campaign on Sunday, March 24, clashing against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

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