In a big development, MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captaincy to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja – who was expected to take over the role in the next few years. Jadeja has honed his skills under Dhoni’s captaincy since joining the franchise in 2012 and is currently one of the premier all-rounders in world cricket. Jadeja is only the third cricketer after Dhoni and Suresh Raina to become CSK’s captain.
“MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of the Chennai Super Kings since 2021, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” CSK said in a statement.
Jadeja has done wonders with the bat as well as the ball for CSK over the years and is also one of the finest fielders in the IPL. Jadeja was one of the four players retained by CSK ahead of IPL 2022 mega auction including Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Moeen Ali.
Just like Dwayne Braavo, Jadeja has played a vital role in CSK’s success over the years. In the 2012 IPL player auction, Jadeja was bought by Chennai Super Kings for approx. Rs. 9.8 Crore, making him the most expensive player of the year’s auction. In IPL 2022 mega auction, Jadeja was CSK’s most expensive retention at 16 crores.
Be it be batting, bowling or fielding, Jadeja has gone from strength to strength with each season and he has taken his batting to a different level in the last few seasons.
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar also opined that Jadeja could take over the captaincy from Dhoni if the latter decided to take a break.
“The way Ravindra Jadeja has matured as a player over the last few years, the way he is making the adjustment as far as his game is concerned and the way he reads match situations has been absolutely fantastic.
“If in the odd game MS Dhoni decides to take a break, I won’t be surprised if the mantle of captaincy will be handed over to Jadeja,” Gavaskar said during a Gameplan episode aired on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL.
