Defending Indian Premier League champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday announced that Ravindra Jadeja has relinquished his captaincy, which has been handed back to MS Dhoni. Jadeja, who was appointed as captain two days ahead of the start of the ongoing IPL campaign, stepped down as captain following CSK's poor start to the season. So far, CSK have won two games out of eight, and sit ninth in the points table. Jadeja looked uneasy from the start of his captaincy tenure, since Dhoni's aura restricted him from being himself. Despite not being at the helm, Dhoni was observed making crucial decisions in several of CSK's games this season. In one match, Dhoni was spotted making field changes in consultation with Dwayne Bravo while Jadeja stood on the boundary line, raising questions as to who was calling shots.
Notably, with Dhoni in the team, it is expected that the veteran will be calling the shots now and then. As per a source in the BCCI, the 40-year-old generally has a say in the way things pan out at the franchise. “Look, nothing happens in CSK without MSD’s approval. He is the first, second, third, and last word when it comes to cricketing matters. Doesn’t matter who captains the side.” “If CSK would have announced Dhoni’s decision to step down two months before IPL, it would have affected the potential team sponsors’ morale. Once the sponsors were all locked in, it’s safer to make an announcement,” the source told PTI.As per reports, CSK had offered joint-captaincy roles to a player in the team but after the said player declined, Jadeja was named the skipper. Unfortunately, it was a move that didn’t pan out for the 4-time champions. Nevertheless, with Dhoni back at the helm, CSK fans will be hoping for a miraculous recovery. Dhoni will take charge of CSK for their game against SunRisers Hyderabad on Sunday. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter has captained CSK to four titles, including last season.
