Chennai, Mar 21 (PTI) In a surprise move, Ruturaj Gaikwad on Thursday replaced the legendary M S Dhoni as the Chennai Super Kings captain as defending champions dropped a bombshell a day before the IPL opener.

In a post on X, the Indian Premier League revealed the development, a day before CSK take on Royal Challengers Bangalore.

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"Presenting @ChennaiIPL's Captain - @Ruutu1331," the IPL posted on X shortly after releasing a picture of all captains posing with the IPL trophy.

Gaikwad, who has played six ODIs and 19 T20s for India, made his CSK debut in 2020 and has gone on to represent the five time IPL champions in 52 games.

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The stylish opener had a memorable run last year, aggregating 590 runs in 16 games at an impressive strike rate of 147.50.

"MS Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings' captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the start of TATA IPL 2024. Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period," CSK said in a statement on their website.

"The team looks forward to the upcoming season," the statement added.

Dhoni is expected to retire at the end of the season and therefore the franchise felt the need for a smooth transition in Dhoni's presence as a player.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)