Ravindra steps down as CSK captain, MS Dhoni to lead the side once againΒ
Ravindra Jadeja has decided to step down as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain. Former skipper MS Dhoni will now lead the side for the remainder of the ongoing 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
The Chennai-based franchise took to social media on Saturday (April 30) to make the announcement. They revealed that Ravindra Jadeja has decided to leave the captaincy in order to focus on his game. He also requested MS Dhoni to lead the side once again.
The defending champions confirmed that Dhoni has accepted the offer and will be at the helm of the side for their remaining fixtures in this year's cash-rich league. CSK announced:
"Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game and has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK. Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest and to allow Jadeja to focus on his game,β
It is worth mentioning that Jadeja was handed over the reins at CSK just two days before the start of the competition. However, the move failed to reap dividends for the four-time champions as they did not have an ideal start to their campaign.
They have managed to secure just two victories so far this season from their eight outings. CSK are currently languishing in the second-last position in the IPL points table and are desperately in search of a miraculous turnaround.
While the side have struggled to win on a consistent basis, Jadeja's individual performances have also been quite underwhelming. The southpaw has managed just 112 runs from eight matches and has a below-average strike rate of 121.74.
MS Dhoni to lead CSK on Sunday for their clash against SRH
The Chennai-based side are scheduled to take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 46th league match of the season. The much-awaited contest is set to be played at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Sunday (May 1).
There seems to be a significant buzz around the contest now, considering that Dhoni is set to make a return as the CSK skipper. The side have done exceedingly well under his leadership in previous seasons and he has led them to four championship victories in the tournament.
CSK squad for IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Samarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma