CSK Captain IPL 2025- All eyes will be on MS Dhoni, the most successful IPL captain, as CSK takes on Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2025 encounter on Friday in Chennai.
In the IPL, MS Dhoni will captain the Chennai Super Kings once more. All eyes will be on MS Dhoni, the most successful IPL captain, as CSK takes on Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL 2025 encounter on Friday in Chennai. But the circumstances CSK finds itself in are far from ideal. The five-time champions have lost four out of five matches, they are placed 9th in the 10-team league and now regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is also out due to an elbow injury. MS Dhoni intervenes in this situation to bring CSK’s campaign back to life.
MS Dhoni was not at all opposed to the prospect of guiding CSK once more, according to CSK coach Stephen Fleming.
“He had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if we can,” added Fleming. “There was never any dispute about it. We’ll examine alternatives. We’ll start by looking within the team since we have some talented players who have been around for a long time. However, there is a chance to explore how we can improve the team going ahead, most likely in the upcoming years.”
Dhoni won five IPL championships while captaining CSK from 2008 to 2023. Prior to the 2024 season, he gave Gaikwad the captaincy. After being struck by a short ball from Jofra Archer on March 30, Gaikwad has played two games after the injury.
“We have an uncapped player, MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL,” Fleming said reporters prior to Friday’s game against KKR.
“He was struck by RR in Guwahati. He has been in some pain while operating. We had an MRI, which showed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck, and an X-ray, which was inconclusive,” Fleming added.
The CSK medical staff was only able to acquire Gaikwad’s MRI once the swelling had decreased, even though he played through discomfort against the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.
Therefore, we sympathise with him and are disappointed. Although we appreciate his attempts to play, he will not be participating in the competition.
In the previous five games, Gaikwad has undoubtedly been the greatest batter, but he has frequently been disappointed by the middle order’s poor performance and the top order’s floundering, as CSK hasn’t been able to chase anything above 180.
Even if Rahul Tripathi has so far appeared completely out of place, CSK’s only real choice right now is to get him back in the top three.
One of CSK’s more seasoned players, Deepak Hooda, can start in the centre.
Vansh Bedi, an unproven Delhi youngster, is another option for CSK to use for some power hitting.
Ayush Mhatre, a youngster from Mumbai, may be the substitute player the Chennai squad is authorised to use.
Ganguly Pushed for MS Dhoni’s Captaincy Comeback at CSK Ahead of Official Call
Ganguly had previously called for MS Dhoni to assume the leadership position before the CSK great was named captain when Gaikwad was injured.
MS Dhoni’s influence in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is greatest when he is captaining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), according to former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Interestingly, Ganguly’s statement that Dhoni is a “different beast” in the captain’s post was made just before CSK formally declared Dhoni’s return as lead for the rest of the 2025 IPL season.
A regrettable injury to regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad—a hairline fracture in his elbow—made the change in leadership necessary. Despite being hit in the elbow during a game against the Rajasthan Royals, Gaikwad heroically went on to score 63 runs. He played in further matches against the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings, but medical evaluations ultimately declared him out for the remainder of the season.
“MS Dhoni must serve as CSK’s captain if he is required to play for the team. According to PTI, Ganguly stated shortly before CSK’s announcement, “Because the captain, MS Dhoni, is a different beast.”
At a pivotal point in their season, when the five-time winners are suffering after four straight losses, Dhoni returns to the captaincy of CSK. Additionally, this will be Dhoni’s first game as captain since he guided CSK to their fifth title, which tied the record, in 2023.
“MS Dhoni can still be a pain in the ass.” In the other game, we witnessed that. He’s forty-three, of course. We do not anticipate seeing MS Dhoni as I did in 2005. It’s really normal. However, I believe he still has the ability to strike and clear,” Ganguly said.
As captain, MS Dhoni is expected to surpass his own record
If Dhoni is selected as captain for today’s game, he will create a new IPL record. He will be the oldest skipper to ever captain a side in the Indian Premier League at 43 years and 278 days. This record was previously held by Dhoni, who led the Chennai Super Kings against the Gujarat Titans in the 2023 final at the age of 41 years and 325 days. Dhoni will surpass his own record and set a new one with his appearance as captain today.
