Not enough preparation, retirement debate – Cricket experts dissected the reason behind MS Dhoni’s shock captaincy move ahead of IPL 2024 opener. On the eve of the IPL 2024 opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are to play against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Ruturaj Gaikwad was unveiled as the new captain of CSK. The shock decision thus marked the end of a successful era for MS Dhoni, who had although stepped down from the leadership role back in 2022 as well. The decision quickly sparked questions about the CSK legend’s fitness and preparation for the tournament while also reigniting the longstanding retirement talk. Two seasons back, Dhoni had pulled off a similar move to promote Ravindra Jadeja for the captaincy role. However, a poor start to the campaign for Chennai, coupled with his unimpressive return with the bat and ball, saw Dhoni reclaim the leadership role yet again and sparked a stellar comeback in 2023, where the franchise lifted their fifth title. The winning run for CSK was expected to be Dhoni’s final IPL season, but the former India captain promised to return one last time. Days after the IPL final, he underwent knee surgery, recovered through the course of the year and joined the CSK camp in Chennai last month to prepare for IPL 2024.
