Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s former captain Virat Kohli paid a glittering tribute to MS Dhoni's "legendary" tenure as captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) after he passed on the captaincy baton to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.
Dhoni shocked the fans and cricketing world by deciding to handover the CSK captaincy to Jadeja on Thursday (March 24), just two days before the opening match of the 2022 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) between CSK and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Dhoni led CSK in every season from 2008 to 2021, apart from the two seasons they were suspended for in 2016 and 2017. He led them to nine IPL finals, winning four of them including last year. He was also captain when CSK won two Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20) titles. In all, Dhoni led the franchise in 213 matches, winning 130 and losing 82 , with one no-result.
READ ALSO: Cricket fraternity reacts to MS Dhoni quitting as CSK captain ahead of IPL 15
Kohli, who himself led RCB from 2013 to 2021, had announced his decision to quit the captaincy at the end of the 2021 IPL season. He has faced off against Dhoni several times over the years on the field. RCB may have not won a title, but fans often felt excitement for the clash of the two sides led by the India greats.
This IPL season, fans will see both Kohli and Dhoni turn up again in red and yellow, but not at the toss or with the captaincy badge as Faf du Plessis and Jadeja will lead RCB and CSK respectively.
Paying respect to his first India captain and a legendary IPL opponent, Kohli shared a picture hugging Dhoni on Instagram, and wrote, “Legendary captaincy tenure in yellow skip. A chapter fans will never forget. Respect always. @mahi7781”
CSK and RCB are scheduled to play each other on April 12 and May 4 in Mumbai and Pune respectively.
