Chennai Super Kings (CSK) legend MS Dhoni’s influence with the franchise camp is immense. He led the franchise from 2008 to 2015 and then from 2018 to 2023. CSK won five IPL titles under his captaincy. While he had left the captaincy once in 2022 and handed it to Ravindra Jadeja, it was not until IPL 2024 when Dhoni finally stepped down as captain.
Ruturaj Gaikwad was chosen to succeed MS Dhoni, and the legend has talked about the advice that he gave the Maharashtra batter while handing the responsibilities to him. Dhoni emphasized that rather than attempting to imitate anyone else, he wanted Gaikwad to lead the team on his own terms.
“What I told Rutu was to run CSK the way he wanted to run it. That’s how I have run CSK for a very long time. And I always felt it’s a game where the captain has to make the decisions. Yes, there are coaches and support staff, but it’s not like football, where the manager decides. In cricket, it’s about the captain, and he has to decide," Dhoni was quoted as saying at an event by News 18 CricketNext.
He further added that he wanted Ruturaj to develop a distinct identity as the leader of the CSK team.
“Yes, there will be certain things that he will pick from the way I used to lead. But individuals are different… Whatever you feel is your style, you have full liberty over here to decide," Dhoni said.
He also stated that he told Ruturaj that he would be getting a lot of advice from him, but it was up to him to whether to use it or discard it.
“I’m very open; I’ll come and talk to you, but you don’t have to do even one thing that I speak to you about. Let’s say I come up with ten pieces of advice; if you don’t follow even one, that is fair enough. When you are the leader, you have to take that responsibility. As a leader, you see the resources that you have and how you want to use them," he added.
Reflecting on CSK’s philosophy, Dhoni reiterated the franchise’s long-standing focus on cricketing priorities.
“We are someone who believes in concentrating more on cricket. Yes, we have had to do a lot of other things that are surrounding cricket, but as a franchise, we know that our essence is cricket and we should stick to that,” he said.
Dhoni also spoke about his immense popularity among fans, insisting that authenticity is the key. He concluded by underlining the role supporters have played in CSK’s success over the years.
“In my case, I never wanted to woo fans or have more followers. I just wanted to be authentic; once you are authentic, people start loving you, and they start picking up stuff that they love about you. The support of the fans matters; when the chips are down, you can get that extra 10-15% from the crowd," Dhoni said.
MS Dhoni is yet to play a single game for CSK in the IPL 2026. He suffered a calf injury, ruling him out from the first half of the tournament. All the CSK fans are waiting to see MS Dhoni on the field, as he has only been present during the practice sessions and not during the CSK matches.
