3 Players Who Can Replace MS Dhoni As The CSK Captain In IPL 2022

MS Dhoni has led Chennai Super Kings since the first season of IPL 2008. The wicket-keeper batsman has done a commendable job as the leader of the team, winning three IPL titles in IPL 2010, IPL 2011, and IPL 2018. Chennai Super Kings have qualified for playoffs in 10 seasons out of 11 (excluding IPL 2021), which clearly reveals how effective MS Dhoni’s leadership is.

In IPL 2021 too, CSK was on fire with their performance. After losing the opening game of IPL 2021 to Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings won 5 back-to-back matches and held the top spot in the points table for a lot of time. When IPL 2021 got suspended, Chennai Super Kings were placed on the 2^nd spot with 5 wins in 7 games.

MS Dhoni still has got a lot of talent but he is also one of the oldest players in Indian Premier League. Even Chennai Super Kings franchise knows the fact that MS Dhoni will not be part of the team for a long time and the team needs to find his replacement who can lead the team in the future.

MS Dhoni will be 40 years old on his birthday in July this year. He has already retired from international cricket and also does not play at the domestic level. There are possibilities that MS Dhoni announces his retirement from IPL and may not lead in CSK in IPL 2022. In such a scenario, CSK will need to find a worthy replacement for MS Dhoni. Here we look at 3 players who can replace MS Dhoni as the CSK captain in IPL 2022.

3 Players Who Can Replace MS Dhoni As The CSK Captain In IPL 2022

Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja is the first player who has the ability to lead Chennai Super Kings in the future. Ravindra Jadeja is one of the best all-rounders that Indian cricket has seen. Like MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja is also a brilliant finisher. The left-handed batsman has been part of Chennai Super Kings since IPL 2012 has spent a long time with the CSK family.

So far, Ravindra Jadeja has scored 2290 runs in 191 IPL matches at an average of 26+ while smashing two fifties. He has also scalped 120 wickets in his IPL career.

Ravindra Jadeja is also among the best fielders in IPL with 76 catches and most 23 run-outs. Jadeja was in the limelight in IPL 2021 after he smashed the joint-highest 37 runs in a single over against Royal Challengers Bangalore. He also grabbed 3 wickets and a run-out in the match and impressed everyone with his spectacular performance. The 32-year-old Jadeja will be a great choice to replace MS Dhoni as CSK’s skipper.

Sam Curran

English cricketer Sam Curran has been part of Chennai Super Kings for the last two seasons but has become a crucial member of the squad with his effective performance. The 22-year-old youngster joined Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020. All-rounder Sam  Curran was CSK’s highest wicket-taker in IPL 2020 with 13 wickets in 14 matches. Even in IPL 2021, left-arm pacer Curran was the leading wicket-taker for Chennai Super Kings with 9 wickets in 7 matches.

Moreover, Curran also has the ability to bat. Batting down the order, Sam Curran has smashed big shots in some games which have helped the team to pile up runs in the death overs. In 30 matches in IPL so far, Curran has smashed 33 runs at a strike rate of 150+. He has also smashed 2 fifties and scalped 32 wickets in IPL. So Sam Curran is a promising all-rounder and can replace MS Dhoni as CSK’s skipper in IPL 2022.

Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is the third player who can replace MS Dhoni as a CSK skipper in the future. Like MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina has also been part of Chennai Super Kings since the start of the tournament in IPL 2008. Suresh Raina is among the top-performing batsmen in the Indian Premier League.

Raina is the 3rd highest run-scorer in IPL with 5491 runs in 195 matches. He has also smashed 1 century and 39 fifties in the tournament. As a part-time spin bowler, Raina has also scalped 25 wickets in IPL. With such great experience in the Indian Premier League and Chennai Super Kings franchise, Raina can be a good choice to replace MS Dhoni as CSK’s skipper in the future.