Ruturaj Gaikwad Replacement: Stephen Fleming confirms CSK future

Chennai Super Kings have confirmed that there will be no replacement for injured skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2025 due to an elbow injury. MS Dhoni will lead CSK in the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad for the remainder of the season.

Notably, Gaikwad injured his elbow while trying to play a fast delivery from Tushar Deshpande during the second over of CSK's unsuccessful run chase against the Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati. Despite the painful blow, he kept batting and went on to score 63 runs in that match, but his team ended up losing the game by 6 runs against the Royals in Guwahati.

Stephen Fleming clears the air on Ruturaj Gaikwad's replacement in the IPL 2025

Well, Chennai Super Kings have a few choices to fill the gap in their batting lineup. They have experienced players like Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda, while they also have young bloods in Shaik Rasheed, Andre Siddarth, and Vansh Bedi in the mix to replace Gaikwad in the playing XI.

However, Fleming has not given a single hint on who will take Gaikwad’s place in CSK’s XI in their IPL 2025 match against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 11 in Chennai, but Rahul Tripathi has done well at No. 3 before and is the frontrunner to get the spot, given his experience as well.

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CSK confirms no replacement for injured Ruturaj Gaikwad

However, there were concerns and speculations over Gaikwad’s replacement, but Chennai Super Kings’ head coach Stephen Fleming made it clear that they will rely on the existing squad to step up. He also hinted that the franchise might consider strengthening the squad for future IPL seasons.

Stephen Fleming said at the pre-match press conference, “We've got some good players in the squad that have been with us a while, so we'll look from within first. But yeah, there is an opportunity to see how we can enhance the squad, probably moving forward into the subsequent year.”

NO REPLACEMENT

Fleming : We've got some good players in the squad that have been with us a while, so we'll look from within first. But yeah, there is an opportunity to see how we can enhance the squad probably moving forward into subsequent year.#WhistlePodu #IPL #CSK #IPL2025

— MSDian™ (@ItzThanesh) April 11, 2025

Well, the youngsters like Shaik Rasheed, Andre Siddarth, and Vansh Bedi, who are known for their attacking style, can also get the chance if the stand-in captain MS Dhoni decides to go with a young player against the defending champions KKR at Chepauk Stadium.

Read Also: Watch: MS Dhoni refuses to meet Dwayne Bravo after KKR move, openly labels him a 'Traitor'

MS Dhoni is a different beast as captain: Sourav Ganguly

Meanwhile, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly praised MS Dhoni, calling him a "different beast" as CSK captain after he was named captain for the rest of the season. Ganguly said that Dhoni may be 43 but still has the power to hit sixes and the sharp mind to lead.

Sourav Ganguly was quoted as saying by PTI, “MS Dhoni can still hit sixes; we saw that in the other game. Obviously, he's 43 years old; you don't expect to see the MS Dhoni that I saw in 2005. That's quite natural. But I think he's still got the power to clear and hit. And I saw him play the other day in Punjab, and he did hit a few sixes.

I think with all his experience and all that he's achieved, he understands the game as well as anybody and will do what is right for CSK. If he has to play for CSK, he must be captain of CSK. Because MS Dhoni, the captain, is a different beast.”

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