Dhoni retirement from IPL: Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022? Who is captain of CSK in IPL 2022?

Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022: The legendary captain has called time on a 13-year Indian Premier League captaincy career.

Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s tryst with astonishing announcements has continued with him announcing handing over the reigns of Chennai Super Kings to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a couple of days before their IPL 2022 opening match against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhoni, 40, was the first captain to lift consecutive Indian Premier League trophies. All in all, Dhoni led CSK to title victory on four occasions (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021). Out of the eight seasons when Super Kings didn’t win the title, they reached the playoffs on a stellar seven occasions (including five instances of finishing as runners-up).

The legendary cricketer’s longevity can be judged from the fact that he led Chennai in all the 190 matches he played for the franchise across 12 seasons. Having also captained Rising Pune Supergiants (2016), Dhoni (204) has played the most number of IPL matches as a captain.

Will MS Dhoni play IPL 2022?

Not known for being at the receiving end of fancy farewells, Dhoni announced him stepping down as the captain of Super Kings via a brief press release uploaded on the website of the franchise.

“MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond,” read an official statement from CSK.

We use the expression “end of an era” very loosely sometimes. But Dhoni giving up the captaincy of @ChennaiIPL is truly the end of an era for all those loyal fans with whom he forged a relationship of the kind very few have.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) March 24, 2022

Hence, there should be no doubt about Dhoni’s IPL 2022 participation. Dhoni, who will be missed with respect to speaking to host broadcaster as a captain, will be playing as a specialist wicket-keeper batter only for the second time in the IPL. Back in IPL 2017, Dhoni had represented Rising Pune Supergiants under Steven Smith.

Who is captain of CSK in IPL 2022?

As mentioned above, Jadeja will be leading Chennai in IPL 2022. Readers must note that the 33-year old player has represented the franchise in 132 matches (third-highest for CSK) across eight seasons. The southpaw will become only the third captain to lead Super Kings after Dhoni (190) and legendary IPL batter Suresh Raina (5).

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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