Ruturaj Gaikwad Exits IPL 2025: Is MS Dhoni the Shadow Captain All Along?

The announcement that Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad would be leaving the IPL midway due to a hairline fracture to his elbow stunned IPL and cricket fans. Right since the second match of CSK, there have been reports of Ruturaj getting injured and might not make it to the XI. However, Gaikwad was able to remain in the team for five matches before he was unable to continue, as continuing beyond this point could have a significant impact on his cricketing future.

Now, in his place, MS Dhoni will captain the side another time. This position isn't new, as Dhoni took over the reins from Ravindra Jadeja back in 2023. Before the start of that season, MSD said he would be stepping down and Jadeja would take over, but the amount of hate Ravindra Jadeja received after CSK lost a few matches made him step down from the role mid-tournament. As a result, Dhoni had to take over the reins once again.

The same thing happened this year, as Dhoni is all set to take over captaincy from Ruturaj Gaikwad. Speculations have been rife that MS Dhoni deliberately took over from Gaikwad due to the team's underperformance, but Ruturaj clarified his injury and wished Dhoni all the best in his captaincy stint.

However, an intriguing detail about Ruturaj's captaincy has surfaced. When the news of Ruturaj's captaincy broke out, India's renowned broadcaster Harsha Bhogle made a video on Cricbuzz about what it means not to have Ruturaj Gaikwad for CSK. Gaikwad has been a prominent run-scorer in the IPL for the past two seasons, and his absence will significantly impact the Chennai Super Kings' batting lineup.

Coming to MS Dhoni's captaincy, Harsha Bhogle said that Dhoni was anyway setting the field and taking calls during the final overs of the innings when CSK was bowling. Ruturaj usually goes to the boundary line as he is one of the most fit and effective fielders for the Super Kings. As a result, the decision of moving the field around is on Dhoni, and this is what Harsha pointed out in this video.

The situation gives rise to the question: Is MS Dhoni the shadow captain for CSK all along? Similarly, one might consider Virat Kohli's current influence on RCB. But, for some reason, Chennai Super Kings have never been able to overcome the "Thala" burden. It's something they admire, love, and cherish, but even the most die-hard CSK fans will tell you that their adulation to just watch Dhoni and not care about CSK winning or losing has turned detrimental for them.

Scores of fans had expressed similar sentiment while walking off Chepauk, disappointed after Chennai Super Kings bottled both their matches at home. Sure, MS Dhoni is a primal part of Chennai Super Kings, but he alone can't be the entirety of CSK. Fans were slowly coming out of this narrative, but with MS Dhoni taking over captaincy again, it will be difficult to contain the "Thala" craze anytime soon.