IPL 2024: Ravichandran Ashwin Snubs Ravindra Jadeja As He Picks MS Dhoni's Successor

Rajasthan Royals off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has opined on the Chennai Super Kings leadership role. He believes that Ruturaj Gaikwad will take over the captaincy baton from MS Dhoni in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

One of the major questions that is doing rounds around the IPL is who will take the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings once MS Dhoni retires. The keeper-batter has been captaining the team since the inception of the league and has been highly successful as well.

Chennai Super Kings tried passing the baton to Ravindra Jadeja in 2022 but the move didn’t work as the all-rounder failed as a leader. MS Dhoni then took leadership back and will now be playing in 2024, which might be his last season as well. After that, it’ll be interesting to see who will captain the team.

Ravichandran Ashwin touted Ruturaj Gaikwad as the next CSK skipper and highlighted that the team brought Ben Stokes on same intentions. He also added that the MS Dhoni-led side might rope in Shardul Thakur’s back. Speaking in a video posted on his YouTube channel, he explained:

“The holes that CSK will try to fill are ones of captaincy, which I believe Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to take over, as Ambati Rayudu said in his latest interview. Ben Stokes, too, was taken by CSK on the same philosophy of playing an able right hand. Needless to say, he is a quality leader, and CSK is a team that values experience. I think they’ll go back to Shardul and get their combination back.”

Ruturaj Gaikwad has a fair amount of captaincy experience as well. He is the leader of his domestic team and was also handed the captaincy of the Indian team in the Asian Games 2023. Under him, Men in Blue won the gold medal.

IPL 2024: CSK is filled with thinkers – Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin further revealed that CSK had one keeper-batter under their radar as a replacement for MS Dhoni but he won’t take his name. Ashwin didn’t reveal his name but highlighted that they needed a replacement for him. He added:

“Another thing that they would be thinking about is who is the replacement keeper for MS Dhoni and even about retentions next year. Actually, there were so many rumours in the air that CSK was going to trade this player to see him as a future successor to MS Dhoni. I don’t want to call out names, as I am also playing in a franchise. But a team like CSK is filled with thinkers.”

Chennai Super Kings will be heading into the IPL 2024 auction with ₹32.1 crore. They released a total of eight players and have six vacant spaces.