MS Dhoni Makes Stunning Admission About CSK Captain: 'Slightly Worried About...'
MS Dhoni said Ruturaj Gaikwad's return will boost CSK's batting for the next IPL. He acknowledged recent struggles and stressed addressing team issues in the mini-auction.
Legendary MS Dhoni said on Saturday that Ruturaj Gaikwad's return will strengthen Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) batting line-up in the next IPL season, after Gaikwad withdrew mid-way through the previous season due to an elbow injury.
Dhoni assumed the CSK captaincy from Gaikwad, but the five-time champions finished 10th in the table with just four wins from 14 matches, struggling to deliver consistent batting performances.
'We are slightly worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now," Dhoni said during a private function, indicating that the Super Kings will retain Gaikwad.
While pleased with Gaikwad's return, Dhoni mentioned that the team will also aim to strengthen their squad further through the mini-auction later this year.
'I won't say we (CSK) slacked off (in IPL 2025). But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in," he added.
Gaikwad's last competitive game was against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur on April 8. The Maharashtrian had signed a deal with English county Yorkshire but withdrew for personal reasons. However, he has been named in the West Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, starting later this month.
What MS Dhoni Said About Chennai Super Kings?
Dhoni admitted that the Super Kings have underperformed over the last two seasons but stressed the importance of identifying and addressing the team's issues.
'Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also.
'We were like, okay, there are some shortcomings. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions," he noted.
Dhoni expressed his gratitude to the loyal CSK fans for their unwavering support during tough times and promised a better performance in the coming season.
'I feel more often than not we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. In sports, you know you can have a very good time and at the same time there will be periods when you won't be performing well. In CSK, more often than not, we are on the higher side.
'So, we do talk about the processes. But at the same time we do want the result to come to our side. Last year it (result) wasn't there. But looking ahead, we will try to sort out most of the things and we will hopefully be at our best," he detailed.
The 44-year-old highlighted the strong bond he has built with Chennai and the IPL team over the years.
'It's a very long relationship that we have had and it started much before the start of IPL… 2005 was the time when I made my Test debut which happened to be in Chennai. So, it started from that point of time. And yes, CSK helped in a big way because all of a sudden I'm spending 45-50 days here."
'So, I feel the relationship over the years has grown. It helped me improve as a person. It helped me improve as a cricketer. So, CSK just happened. I think it's good for Chennai. So, today it's good for me also. Nowadays when we go and say CSK, it's not a brand only in India, but when we go to Australia, South Africa, or any of the cricket playing nations," he noted.
Get latest Cricket news, live score and match results on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
tags :
chennai super kings CSK Dhoni MS Dhoni msd Ruturaj Gaikwad
view comments
First Published:
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
26 minutes ago
- Time of India
Four from Vidarbha in Central Zone squad, Wadkar ignored
1 2 3 4 5 6 Nagpur: Vidarbha may have clinched the Ranji Trophy earlier this year, but only four of its players are good enough to make the cut for the Duleep Trophy, at least as per the Central Zone selection committee. Among those selected from Vidarbha, two — Harsh Dubey and Yash Rathod — select themselves, being the highest wicket-taker and leading run-scorer of the last Ranji Trophy. Danish Malewar, who scored a century in the final against Kerala, and consistent medium pacer Aditya Thakare are the two other Vidarbha players in the Central Zone squad. Usman Ghani, who plotted Vidarbha's third Ranji Trophy triumph, has been fittingly named as the Central Zone coach. The bigger news, unfortunately, was the snub given by the selectors to Akshay Wadkar, the ever-dependable Vidarbha skipper. Having led Vidarbha to back-to-back Ranji Trophy finals in the last two years, apart from piling up runs, it was expected that Wadkar would walk into the Central Zone team. The selectors, though, failed to notice Wadkar's 722 runs in 10 matches as well as 24 dismissals (19 catches and five stumpings) effected as wicketkeeper in the last edition of the Ranji Trophy. Wadkar posted two centuries and as many fifties while scoring at an average of 45.13. Surprisingly, Madhya Pradesh's Rajat Patidar has been named in the team subject to fitness clearance. The Central Zone will be led by Dhruv Jurel, a wicketkeeper-batter, like Wadkar. Rathod's inclusion in the Central Zone team was a no-brainer after he piled up 960 runs from 10 matches at an average of 53.33, the most by a batter in the last Ranji season. He posted five centuries, including 151 against Mumbai in Vidarbha's 80-run semifinal win. Same was the case with Dubey, who snapped up 69 wickets and entered the record books as the bowler with most scalps in a Ranji Trophy season. He took wickets at an astonishing average of 16.98, posting seven five-wicket hauls in 10 matches. Malewar posted 783 runs from nine matches at an average of 52.20. His highest score was 154, posted in the final against Kerala, as he smashed two centuries and six fifties. Aditya Thakare took 28 wickets in eight matches before missing out on the semifinal and final due to injury. The tall medium pacer took wickets at an excellent average of 19.85. Vidarbha's right-arm medium pacer Yash Thakur has been named in standbys. Central Zone team: Dhruv Jurel (C & WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Aryan Juyal (all from UP), Harsh Dubey, Yash Rathod, Danish Malewar, Aditya Thakare (all from Vidarbha), Rajat Patidar, Saransh Jain, Shubham Sharma (all from MP), Deepak Chahar, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed (all from Rajasthan), Sanjeet Desai, Ayush Pandey (both from Chhattisgarh). Coach: Usman Ghani. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Indian Express
43 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Duleep Trophy 2025: Full squads, match schedule, date and venue
The great Indian home cricket season for 2025-26 will begin with the Duleep Trophy in late August. Played primarily as a preparatory event ahead of India's home long home Test season, the Duleep Trophy will return to its old zonal format system after a break from the four-team format last year, when the squads were directly picked by the senior national selectors as opposed to the ordeal of zonal selections. While there were no knockout matches last season, the tournament will begin with the quarter-final fixtures between North Zone and East Zone and the Central Zone and North East Zone. Finalists of the last zonal edition in 2023 – South Zone and West Zone – have marked their berths directly in the semi-finals of the tournament. Duleep Trophy 2025-26: Dates and Venues The upcoming Duleep Trophy will predominantly be played at a single venue at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. The tournament will run from August 28 to September 15. Duleep Trophy 2025: Full Schedule Quarter-finals August 28-31, 2025: North Zone vs East Zone – Venue: BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru August 28-31, 2025: Central Zone vs North East Zone – Venue: BCCI COE Ground 2, Bengaluru Semi-finals September 4-7, 2025: South Zone vs Winner QF1 – Venue: BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru September 4-7, 2025: North Zone vs Winner QF2 – Venue: BCCI COE Ground 2, Bengaluru Final September 11-15, 2025: Final – Venue: BCCI COE Ground 1, Bengaluru South Zone squad: Tilak Varma (c), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc), Tanmay Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Kale, Salman Nizar, Narayan Jagadeesan, Tripurana Vijay, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Nidheesh MD, Ricky Bhui, Basil NP, Gurjapneet Singh, Snehal Kauthankar. East Zone squad: Ishan Kishan (c), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami. West Zone squad: Shardul Thakur (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wicket-keeper), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wicket-keeper), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmandrasinh Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala North Zone squad: Shubman Gill (c), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vc), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sandhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan. Central Zone squad: Dhruv Jurel (c/wk), Rajat Patidar*, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanjeet Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed North East Zone squad: TBA
India.com
43 minutes ago
- India.com
Should Be The Most Desperate Team: Not CSK, Aakash Chopra Feels This Team Will Go All Out To Get Sanju Samson In IPL 2026 Auctions
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has opined that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might be the most desperate to acquire Sanju Samson if Rajasthan Royals (RR) release him before the IPL 2026 auction. He pointed out that KKR need an Indian wicketkeeper-batter and a potential captain, and could release Venkatesh Iyer to create enough budget space. "KKR don't have an Indian wicketkeeper-batter, and that just ties their hands behind their back. Secondly, what's wrong if you get a captain? I am not denying that Ajinkya Rahane has captained well and has scored runs as well," Chopra said. "However, Ajinkya Rahane as a batter, either he opens or else the batting order has been a bit of a problem. They have a player they can release as well. If they wish, they can release Venkatesh Iyer, free up nearly ₹24 crore, and then they can actually make a difference." Reports suggest Samson has asked RR to release him before the IPL 2026 auction. KKR didn't have a recognized Indian wicketkeeper-batter in IPL 2025, with Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz performing that role. In a video on his YouTube channel, Chopra reckoned that KKR might be keener than even CSK to onboard Samson. He added, "One shouldn't be surprised at all if the Kerala player is acquired by the three-time champions if released by RR." Chopra also discussed RR's possible motivations, saying, 'When the last mega auction happened, they let Jos Buttler go and I felt they let Jos Buttler go because Yashasvi had come and Sanju wanted to open, and Sanju and Rajasthan Royals were really, really thick." He continued, "Vaibhav Suryavanshi has come, so two openers are already ready, and you also want to bat Dhruv Jurel up the order. So Sanju wishes to leave. If he is thinking like that, it's possible. These are conjectures. I don't know what's in his and Rajasthan's minds." Sanju Samson had aggregated 285 runs at a strike rate of 140.39 in nine innings during IPL 2025. Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed 252 runs, including the fastest-ever IPL century by an Indian, at a strike rate of 206.55 in seven innings that season.
