CHENNAI: MS Dhoni will captain Chennai Super Kings for the first time since the 2023 final after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament with a fractured elbow. "MS Dhoni will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL," said coach Stephen Fleming in the pre-match press conference ahead of Friday's game against Kolkata Knight Riders.
"He got hit in Guwahati (off Tarun Deshpande)," Fleming added. "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, in the radial neck.
"So we are disappointed and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he's gone to in terms of trying to play, but unfortunately, he'd be out of the tournament from now."
This is the third time that Dhoni will take over as leader of the franchise on at least a semi-permanent basis (fourth if you want to include the season the franchise came back after a two-year ban).
The veteran, whose fitness isn't what it was, readily agreed to 'step up' as he 'understands' the team's needs. "He had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if he can," the Kiwi said.
The franchise can get a replacement for Gaikwad but Fleming hopes that they would look internally for a solution.
For Friday's game, that could possibly be to bring back Rahul Tripathi but in a No. 3 role, while Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra open. Going forward, they do have the option of giving Andre Siddharth or Vansh Bedi a chance.
If they want to go the overseas route to add a power-hitter at the top or through the middle, somebody like Lhuan-dre Pretorius or Dewald Brevis could be enticing options.