In a surprising turn of events before Chennai Super Kings’ big clash with Kolkata Knight Riders on April 11, Ambati Rayudu couldn’t contain his excitement about MS Dhoni’s return to captaincy. With Ruturaj Gaikwad sidelined due to a serious elbow injury, Dhoni has stepped up to lead CSK once again. This decision was announced by CSK’s head coach Stephen Fleming in a press conference on Thursday, and Rayudu couldn’t be happier.
During an interview with ESPN Cricinfo, Rayudu began by expressing his sadness over the unfortunate exclusion of Ruturaj from the remainder of the season. However, he quickly turned his attention to Dhoni’s return, saying that CSK fans would be absolutely thrilled to see the legendary captain back at the helm.
“First of all, it’s very sad that Ruturaj, the captain of CSK, has been ruled out of the IPL. But all the fans will definitely be extremely excited to see MS Dhoni lead CSK again. He can always pull out his magic and make CSK qualify from here. It will be one great story. So, I am very, very excited and I just hope that he weaves his magic all over the CSK team,”
– Rayudu
Rayudu believes that Dhoni’s leadership is what CSK needs to push through to the playoffs, even from a challenging position. He’s confident that the return of Dhoni will ignite the team’s spirits, making for a fairytale comeback.
Adding to the conversation, former CSK player Robin Uthappa shared his thoughts on Dhoni’s return to the captaincy. Uthappa revealed that Dhoni had intentionally stayed in the background, allowing Ruturaj and coach Fleming to build their own leadership dynamic. But now, with Ruturaj out, it’s time for Dhoni to step back in and take charge.
“He is going to take control at the helm again. He stayed in the background completely and allowed Fleming and Ruturaj to kind of build their chemistry. Now he comes back to the fore. You will see a few changes, I suspect, in the next couple of days and the game against KKR,”
– Uthappa
For CSK fans, Dhoni’s return to leadership is a glimmer of hope in what has been a tough season. The IPL 2023 final was thought to be Dhoni’s last match as captain, but it seems the story is far from over. With CSK losing their last four matches and only managing one win in the last five games, Dhoni’s leadership might just be the turning point they need.
