'End of the Greatest Era': MS Dhoni Steps Down as CSK Captain, Fans go Into Meltdown

Expect MS Dhoni to do the unthinkable.

Just a day before the 17th season of the Indian Premier League was set to get underway, Dhoni, one of the greatest captains in the history of cricket, has stepped down as the Chennai Super Kings captain.

In a brief media announcement, CSK confirmed that Dhoni has handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

“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,” read a statement.

Naturally, fans on social media had a lot to say on the stunning development with ‘end of an era’ being the common thread.

Dhoni led CSK to five IPL titles during his rein as their captain that began with the inaugural season in 2008. CSK start their IPL 2024 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday.

Interestingly, five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians will also have a new captain in Hardik Pandya for the upcoming season replacing Rohit Sharma. It was under Rohit that MI became the first team to win five IPL titles before Dhoni-led CSK drew level with them last year.

This isn’t the first time that Dhoni has handed over CSK’s rein to younger player. During IPL 2022, allrounder Ravindra Jadeja led the franchise for a brief period but after a series of poor results, he stepped down from the role paving the way for Dhoni’s return.

IPL will be without two of their most successful captains leading their sides this time around with both Dhoni and Rohit turning out as players.