The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were hit with a major blow ahead of their must-win clash in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday after head coach Stephen Fleming revealed that the star batter and captain would miss the rest of the season.

MS Dhoni will return as captain for a third stint with the franchise as a result and will replace Ruturaj as captain. This will mark Dhoni's third stint as an IPL captain after leading the franchise from their inception in 2008 to 2021. Later, he replaced Ravindra Jadeja mid-season in 2022 and led till the end of the 2023 season.

Ruturaj was hit on the elbow in CSK's defeat against RR in Guwahati but still played in defeats against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS). However, it has now emerged that the 28-year-old has a fracture and cannot take any more part in the tournament.

“He got hit in Guwahati. He’s been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck. So we’re disappointed and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he’s gone to in terms of trying to play, but unfortunately, he’d be out of the tournament from now. We have an uncapped player, MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL,” said Fleming in a pre-match press conference.

Ruturaj has been a rare positive for CSK in what has been a disastrous season so far and his absence comes as a major blow to an already struggling middle order. After years of opening the batting, Ruturaj has batted at number three in the 2025 season and scored 122 runs in five innings with two half-centuries.

CSK are yet to name a replacement for Ruturaj in the squad.

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