The legendary cricketer MS Dhoni will be captaining the CSK for the remainder of the IPL 2025 after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with an elbow fracture.
Gaikwad who sustained a blow in his elbow in Tushar Deshpande’s delivery during the IPL 2025 games played between CSK and RR on March 30 has featured in the next two games, against Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.
However, ahead of the CSK’s next games against Kolkata, head coach Stephen Fleming has revealed that the skipper’s scans have now revealed a hairline fracture.
“Unfortunately, Ruturaj Gaikwad is going to be ruled out of the tournament,” Fleming said. “He got hit in Guwahati. He’s been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, so we’re disappointed and feel for him.
“We appreciate the efforts that he’s gone to in terms of trying to play but unfortunately, he’ll be out of this tournament for now. We have an uncapped player in MS Dhoni who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL.”
However, this has been seen as a tactics change in the franchise after four straight loses in the ongoing season. But it also seen as a major blow as Gaikwad is the key fire missing in the top order being the CSK’s run scorer in the last four seasons.
Meanwhile MS Dhoni who has captained the side in 235 games, has led the side to title win in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023 and two Champions League T20 trophies.
CAPTAIN MAHENDRA SINGH DHONI 🦁7️⃣#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/H3Wqm6AdGt
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 10, 2025
Fleming also spoke about MS Dhoni being returning as captain. “He understands that the team is in need at the moment,” he said.
“There’s Rutu who didn’t want to go. So, he had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if he can. So, that was never a doubt,” Fleming said.
While asked about the replacements for the Ruturaj, Stephen Fleming said, “Replacements, we’ll look at. 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 years.”
Despite having solid start, Chennai slipped to 9th position in the IPL 2025 points table after four straight defeats.
They will be looking to return to the winning ways during the match against Kolkata Knight Riders played on April 11 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
