MS Dhoni to captain CSK for rest of IPL 2025
Head coach Stephen Fleming confirmed that Dhoni will lead CSK again
MS Dhoni will lead Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season as regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was on Thursday (April 10) ruled out of the tournament due to an elbow injury.
Also read: CSK vs KKR match preview
What Fleming said
"He (Gaikwad) got hit in Guwahati. 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. So we're disappointed and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he's gone to in terms of trying to play, but unfortunately, he'd be out of the tournament from now. We have an uncapped player, MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL," CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said in Chennai on the eve of the team's match against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
On its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, CSK too confirmed the news. "Ruturaj Gaikwad ruled out of the season due to a hairline fracture of the elbow. MS Dhon to lead. Get well soon, Rutu," CSK wrote.
Gaikwad was struck on his elbow by a delivery from Tushar Deshpande during CSK's match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on March 30. However, he played in the next two games, against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), but now scans have revealed a fracture to his elbow, making him unavailable for the rest of IPL 2025.
Struggling CSK
CSK face KKR at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
CSK are placed ninth in the standings after four losses and a solitary win, while KKR are in sixth position with two wins and three defeats in five matches.
The 43-year-old Dhoni last captained CSK in the final of the IPL 2023 which the team won after defeating Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad. After that season, Dhoni stepped down and Gaikwad was made the new captain of the Chennai franchise.
Dhoni has led CSK to five IPL titles and two Champions League T20 trophies.
Chennai Super Kings Squad: MS Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.