Ravindra Jadeja on Saturday handed the captaincy back to former skipper MS Dhoni after Chennai Super Kings fell to their sixth defeat of the season last week. The four-time IPL winners have had a torrid season this year, having notched up just two wins in eight games in the 10-team competition. (Follow IPL 2022 Coverage)
Jadeja hasn’t been able to help Chennai turn around their fate since taking over the leadership. The left-handed all-rounder is still searching for his lost mojo with both bat and ball. He was the highest-paid retention for CSK ahead of the 2022 IPL edition, fetching ₹16 crore along with Dhoni ( ₹12 crore), Moeen Ali ( ₹8 crore), and Ruturaj Gaikwad ( ₹6 crore).
Also Read | Ravindra Jadeja hands over CSK captaincy back to MS Dhoni
But Jadeja hasn’t looked his usual self, leading to his resignation as leader of the Chennai outfit. He has scored just 112 runs in eight games and plucked five wickets this season.
“Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game & has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK. MS Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest & to allow Jadeja to focus on his game,” said the franchise in an official release.
While the outgoing captain was lauded by CSK fans for his contribution, Twitter was stormed by a barrage of tweets for Dhoni, who will be seen leading the franchise in the remaining games.
Dhoni, 40, has been in good touch with the willow and his best display came against Mumbai Indians when the match was on a knife-edge. The veteran showed he has lost none of his finishing prowess by hitting 16 runs off the last four deliveries from Jaydev Unadkat.
Dhoni quit international cricket in 2019 and while speculation continues to swirl about how much longer he will continue in the T20 tournament, his return to the helm will certainly put a smile on many faces.
Earlier, CSK had said that the 40-year-old Dhoni will continue to represent the franchise for the “season and beyond”, having led the franchise to four IPL titles.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to MS Dhoni’s return to captaincy:
Dhoni has captained in 204 matches in the IPL winning 121, losing 82 and one match ended in a no-result with a win percentage of 59.60.
Under his astute leadership, Chennai have won four IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 as well as two Champions League T20 titles in 2010 and 2014.
