Chennai begin IPL defence against Bengaluru today

Dhoni hands over the captaincy to Gaikwad

FE Team | Published: March 21, 2024 23:31:19

Captains pose with IPL 2024 trophy on Thursday — IPL

BENGALURU, Mar 21 (Reuters): Chennai Super Kings will launch their Indian Premier League title defence against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday in what could be Mahendra Singh Dhoni's final year in the lucrative Twenty20 competition after he stepped down as captain on Thursday.
Dhoni played his last international in 2019 but remains one of the country's most popular players, and while the 42-year-old showed some signs of slowing down last season he still helped Chennai win a fifth title to match Mumbai Indians' haul.
Media reports have said 2024 could be the former India skipper's swan song and the wicketkeeper-batsman, who had knee surgery last year, handed over the captaincy to batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of Friday's opener. Dhoni has captained Chennai since the inception of the league in 2008 and the team did not provide details about his future beyond this year's edition.
"Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period. The team looks forward to the upcoming season," Chennai added in a statement.