MS Dhoni’s decision to quit captaincy on the eve of their first match against KKR on March 26 might have stunned the fans, but it was not sudden. It was exactly the opposite of what he did during the World Cup, when he announced his decision out of the blue on Twitter. This time, he adopted his ward Virat Kohli’s method, planning a smooth transition.
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Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan said Dhoni was already planning to leave captaincy and was waiting for the right moment.
“He announced the decision at a team meeting today after practice. But he was already thinking about it. MS thought Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) was ready to take the mantle and was at his best form to take the leadership role,” the CSK CEO told InsideSport.
How the entire episode unfolded?
- CSK insiders say they were taken by surprise when Dhoni informed CEO about his decision in the morning. He also said that he wanted to speak Mr. N Srinivasan.
- Around 10 in the morning, a request was made to Srinivasan’s office from the CSK team CEO in Mumbai.
- In the afternoon, Dhoni got on a call with Mr Srinivasan and informed him about his decision.
- People close to him say Srinivasan too was taken aback initially but at the end of the call, he understood it. The call lasted for about 10 minutes.
- Post the call, Dhoni informed the entire team during a TEAM-MEETING about his decision. At the players' meeting, Ravindra Jadeja was announced as the CSK Captain.
Virat Kohli also informed his teammates before informing that he will step down as Test captain after the South Africa tour.
MS Dhoni CSK Captaincy Records:
- Matches: 204
- Won: 121
- Lost: 82
- IPL trophies: 4 (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021)
- IPL Finals: 9
- Champions League T20 titles: 2
- Winning percentage: 59.60%
Dhoni Quits Captaincy: Dhoni’s BOMBSHELL leaves players surprised, CSK CEO confirms, unlike India retirement, Dhoni announced his decision in players meeting
While fans may have wanted him to continue for another year, MS Dhoni decided to keep the team first and have a smooth transition in the leadership role.
“See, you are talking about MS. He always goes according to plan. Yes, he could have continued to lead for another year, but Jadeja was ready for the role, and with a new team, he felt it was justified for the next captain to lead them from the first season,” Viswanathan said.
However, Dhoni isn’t retiring just yet. While the CSK CEO refused to say whether he will continue to feature in CSK’s Playing XI owing to his poor form with the willow, he said Dhoni will continue to feature in CSK’s plans. But didn’t clarify in which role.
“Dhoni will continue to be an integral part of CSK, captain or not. He will be one of the decision-makers especially as he is still the wicketkeeper. As for his future, he will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” Viswanathan said.
However, if sources are to be believed, Dhoni will take a call on his playing career at the end of the season and move to a mentorship role at CSK as Sachin Tendulkar is at Mumbai Indians. But there is no official confirmation on that front yet.