Chennai Super Kings confront a familiar crossroads as MS Dhoni’s captaincy comes to an end, reminiscent of the conclusion to the 2022 season.
However, Dhoni stepped down as skipper for just over a month and with eight IPL matches remaining in the campaign, underscoring the franchise’s unfamiliar falter regarding leadership choices in 2022 season, when he passed on the leadership role to Ravindra Jadeja.
"Feels Good! It's a privilege!" – Captain Rutu 🗣️🦁 #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/HPyWuEajIg
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) March 21, 2024
According to Stephen Fleming, CSK is in better hands this time around following his 27-year-old skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. Fleming reflects on the 2022 season, calling the disappearance of Dhoni a wake-up call that leads to extensive planning and preparation for the inevitable. The news was broken through a brief tweet from the official IPL account, reflecting the preparations made by the franchise.
“The big thing about a couple of years ago was that we probably weren’t ready for MS [Dhoni] to move aside and what that did was probably shake us as a leadership group or coaches into looking at the possibility of when he does go and up until that stage that was almost unthinkable,” Fleming said
Fleming went into more immense detail on how the decision was reached, with Dhoni transferring captaincy out of a hat. The choice to replace Dhoni was a long-considered one for CSK, and the topshot emphasized how it is a departure from the past.
Fleming expressed confidence that Gaikwad’s performance would not suffer, having had prior captaincy experience and the full support of senior stars like Ravindra Jadeja.
“It sowed the seeds for us to work pretty hard on making sure that any mistakes that were [made] during that time aren’t made again. And that the leadership isn’t a secret, we’ve been working really hard on making sure that plans are in place and all the players are self-sufficient. We’re more prepared now because that jolted us into looking at life after [Dhoni] and in some ways we’ve been a bit slow in doing that as a management group so we’re well prepared this time,” he added.
Ultimately, CSK must discover the optimal combination of Gaikwad’s independence and Dhoni’s presence in moments of necessity.
According to Fleming, the secret is fostering the former while advising Gaikwad with the wisdom of those around him. Sparked by Gaikwad’s placidly imposing personality and buoyed by the experienced campaigners surrounding him, newfound optimism envelopes the dressing room. With batting crutches passed on, a fresh stage dawns at Chennai Super Kings.
