Former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Suresh Raina has shared his thoughts on who will captain the franchise when MS Dhoni decides to hang up his gloves as he has been tipped to call time on his illustrious career after the IPL 2023.
Dhoni,41, has captained CSK in all the seasons the yellow brigade has played in the Indian Premier League. Though Ravindra Jadeja was given the reins in IPL 2022, that experiment crashed and burned spectacularly.
Many also thought that CSK splurged a lot on Ben Stokes, the England all-rounder, as they saw him as the next captain of the franchise. But with his fitness and uncertainty in playing XI, Suresh Raina has given another option to captain CSK in the future- Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“If Dhoni steps down after this season, Jadeja is expected to captain CSK. However, it will not be surprising to see Gaikwad leading CSK in three years’ time. He has all the qualities to be a good skipper,” Raina told onmanorama.com.
CSK Have A Bright Chance To Make It To The Final Of IPL 2023: Suresh Raina
Chennai Super Kings are placed second on the IPL 2023 points table with two matches to go and 15 points in hand. and Suresh Raina feels the same as well given that their two remaining matches will be played in Chennai and Delhi and the playoffs are also in Chennai.
“CSK have a bright chance to make it to the final of IPL 2023. Batters Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and Ajinkya Rahane are in excellent form. The big-hitting Shivam Dube adds more firepower to their middle-order. He is a very good player of spin. CSK have two proven wicket-takers in Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja in the spin department. Dhoni’s role as a finisher is crucial for CSK, and he is doing the job very well. Speculation is rife that this will be Dhoni’s IPL swansong. I want to see him in CSK colors for one more season,” Raina said.