MS Dhoni will return as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain when the team takes on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 11 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Dhoni was handed the responsibility of leading the team again after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament due to an elbow injury. CSK have struggled in IPL 2025, losing four back-to-back defeats, and Dhoni's return does come as a shot in the arm. The talismanic captain is the most successful skipper for the franchise, leading them to five IPL titles.

CSK coach Stephen Fleming revealed that MS Dhoni had no hesitation in taking up CSK's captaincy after Gaikwad's injury. "He had no hesitation to step up and help guide us out of this if we can," Fleming said. "So that was never a doubt. We'll look at replacements. We've got some good players in the squad that have been with us a while, so we'll look from within first. But yeah, there is an opportunity to see how we can enhance the squad, probably moving forward into subsequent years."

Dhoni led CSK from IPL 2008 to 2023 before stepping down and handing over the leadership reins to Ruturaj Gaikwad. He stepped down and handed over the captaincy to Ravindra Jadeja ahead of IPL 2022, however, Jadeja stepped down after losing a few games, and Dhoni retook charge of the team.

Meanwhile, Gaikwad was hit by a delivery by Jofra Archer. He did play two games following the injury, battling pain, however, a recent MRI revealed a fracture in his elbow. Gaikwad's loss is a major blow to CSK, who are already struggling with a bleak batting lineup. The team will have to bring Rahul Tripathi in the top order to make up for Gaikwad.

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