Chennai Super Kings' legend and interim captain MS Dhoni, following his leadership in the team’s last match of IPL 2025, announced that Ruturaj Gaikwad will resume his role as CSK's permanent captain for IPL 2026. Gaikwad, sidelined during the latter part of the season because of an elbow injury, initially took charge when the tournament began.
Although IPL 2025 proved to be CSK's most disappointing season — ending up at the bottom of the standings — the team concluded their run on a positive note. a decisive 83-run victory against the leading Gujarat Titans The performance not only helped regain some dignity but also provided hints at a bright upcoming era centered on young talent and new leaders. Following the game, both supporters and commentators looked forward to hearing Dhoni’s stance on his continued involvement in the IPL. Despite being an experienced wicket-keeper batsman, refrained from confirming whether he would return in 2026 or retire , he did make one thing clear — Ruturaj Gaikwad will once again lead the Chennai Super Kings next season.
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"Indeed, there are some gaps we aim to address; however, one key aspect is that when Rutu returns for the upcoming season, at least we can provide him with a squad where he only has to secure his spot in the starting eleven. This way, he won’t have to stress over numerous issues," Dhoni stated during the post-match ceremony.
Earlier in the season, CSK suffered a significant setback, and despite MS Dhoni returning as captain, prospects of improvement seemed slim. Nevertheless, supporters found encouragement in their decisive victory over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on May 25. This game highlighted elements of promise within CSK’s young squad, driven largely by players like Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, and Dewald Brevis who put up an impressive performance against Gujarat Titans' bowlers, although Prasidh Krishna stood out with his stellar figures of 2/22.
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