Dhoni and Fleming Appointed Ruturaj CSK Captain, Management Was Not Aware: CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan has revealed that it was MS Dhoni and head coach Stephen Fleming, and not the CSK management, who took the decision to appoint Ruturaj Gaikwad as the full-time skipper of the franchise.

Dhoni was expected to lead CSK in IPL 2024, but the franchise dropped a bombshell one day before the tournament, announcing that Gaikwad would take over the reins from Dhoni in the upcoming season. CSK narrowly missed out on reaching the playoffs in IPL 2024, but even then, Gaikwad ended up winning over the CSK fans big time.

Viswanathan said that Dhoni and Fleming ultimately took the right decision.

“I think it was a decision only taken by MS [Dhoni] and Flem [Fleming], and it was announced at the last moment. The management was not aware of it, but they took the right decision,” Viswanathan said in a video posted on CSK’s YouTube channel.

“Flem, as well as the skipper, had the confidence that Rutu would be the right choice. And based on his performance, they felt that he would be a very good choice because of his qualities as a player and how he could also move with the other players in the team. And he was watching MS from close quarters, so that gave him [Gaikwad] the confidence.”

 Viswanathan further said that, having spent ample time with Dhoni, Gaikwad has ended up imbibing the qualities of his predecessor, who is considered one of the greatest white-ball captains in history.

“He's been watching MS right through his career, and I think he has imbibed some of his qualities,” the CSK CEO said.

“And moreover, he has his own self-confidence and his own mind, how to take the team forward. I think he'll be a very good bet for us as a skipper.”