MS Dhoni will again captain Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as he was chosen to lead the franchise for the rest of IPL 2025 after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an elbow injury.

Also read: CSK vs KKR match preview

“We have an uncapped player, MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL. He (Gaikwad) got hit in Guwahati (vs RR). 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,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming told the media on Thursday (April 10).

Struggling CSK

Dhoni had previously captained CSK from 2008 till 2023 in over 200 IPL games. He stepped down and handed over the captaincy to Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024. For this season, CSK retained Dhoni as an ‘uncapped’ player for Rs 4 crore.

Also read: Frustrating season for CSK, says Fleming

The decision to re-appoint Dhoni as skipper comes at a time when CSK are struggling in the ongoing Indian Premier League season.

CSK are placed ninth in the IPL 2025 standings after four losses and a solitary win, while KKR are in sixth position with two wins and three defeats in five matches.

Captain Dhoni’s record

The 43-year-old Dhoni has captained two franchises in the IPL – CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant. Dhoni was signed up by Pune when CSK were banned for two years. Dhoni holds the record in IPL for most matches as captain – 226.

Dhoni has led CSK to five IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) and two Champions League T20 trophies (2010, 2014). Dhoni and Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) hold the joint record for most IPL trophies as captain.

CSK will be hoping for a revival from Friday with Dhoni back as skipper. They will face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at their home ground – MA Chidambaram Stadium.

MS Dhoni’s record as CSK captain in IPL

Matches: 212

Won: 128

Lost: 82

No Result: 2

Win percentage: 60.37

Most matches as IPL captain

MS Dhoni (CSK/RPS) – 226 matches (Won 133, Lost 91)

Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) – 158 (Won 87, Lost 67)

Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) – 143 (Won 66, Lost 70)

Gautam Gambhir (Delhi Capitals/Kolkata Knight Riders) – 129 (Won 71, Lost 57)

David Warner (Delhi/Sunrisers Hyderabad) – 83 (Won 40, Lost 41)