Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the famous wicketkeeper-batsman, dropped a bombshell by announcing his resignation as captain of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The 39-year-old made this major choice only days before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season launch in Mumbai, where the reigning champions will face last year’s runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders.
For the last two seasons, there had been speculations about Dhoni’s retirement from the IPL, the only league he features in after retiring from international cricket. However, at a function organised by CSK in Chennai last year, the former captain assured his fans that he would play at least one more season before making any major decision.
“MS Dhoni was thinking about it. He felt it is the right time to hand over captaincy to Jaddu [Jadeja]. He feels Jaddu is also in prime form of his career and it is the ideal time for him lead CSK. What will be good for the franchise must be [in the] back of his mind,” Viswanathan was quoted as saying.
The CSK CEO further stated that the decision didn’t come as a surprise as they already had a discussion before and Jadeja was alerted about the same in advance.
“He [Jadeja] has been talked to earlier. Even last year there was proposal. We knew he would be the best person to succeed MS. It is similar to when he handed Virat the captaincy after having groomed him for a few years at international level. Similarly, he wanted the transition to be smooth,” Viswanathan said.
“Jaddu has the potential to do well for the franchise. He is a good all-round cricketer, playing his best, he can get the team around. And MS’ guidance will always be there. This will be a good induction program,” he added.