Former West Indies batter and cricket expert Daren Ganga has questioned Chennai Super Kings’ decision to hand over the captaincy to MS Dhoni for the rest of the season after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the ongoing IPL 2025 due to an injury.
Ganga has opined that relying on a player like MS Dhoni, who doesn’t play competitive cricket between IPL seasons, is risky for the Chennai Super Kings’ future. He believes that Dhoni’s availability and fitness could be a major disadvantage for CSK if they continue to plan around him.
Daren Ganga questions CSK’s decision to rely on MS Dhoni as Captain amid IPL 2025 struggles
The former cricketer also questioned whether it’s wise for the CSK to peg their hopes on Dhoni, who may not be available for the entire season or for the next season, as he felt their attachment to the five-time IPL-winning captain is not good for the team’s progress and development.
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Daren Ganga said on ESPNCricinfo: “Yeah, but to me, is that not high risk for a team if you’re planning for a next season? You’re pegging your hopes on a player who is not playing competitive cricket between IPL seasons. Isn’t that putting yourself at a disadvantage? One, on the fitness of that player, the availability of that player to play an entire season. You find yourself back at square one.
Where you’ll be searching for a captain, a man who is not part of the entire process of the strategic planning and direction for a season. So, I feel you’re in that constant cycle of development and not progressing.”
‘Leadership has a shelf life’
Despite Dhoni’s vast experience and leadership skills, Ganga has openly said that he, being a captain, is not going to work with Chennai Super Kings but admitted his value as a wicketkeeper and lower-order batter. He questioned whether Dhoni should be considered a captain, especially when he has been leading the side for more than a decade.
The cricket pundit noted that “leadership has a shelf life,” but when CSK has the younger players like Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja in the mix, then the uncertainty over the captaincy could create tension within the team, particularly for players who have ambitions for the role.
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MS Dhoni being captain is very unsettling for players like Ravindra Jadeja: Daren Ganga
Ganga signed off by saying, “I feel having a guy like Ruturaj Gaikwad and, in the past, Ravindra Jadeja, in that sort of unsettling situation where it seems that MS still has ambitions of captaincy, is not a good situation to be in. I’ve been in that situation before. It is very unsettling for you when you know that there’s someone behind you who still has ambitions, but it is being shown as though he is not interested in the job.”
Notably, Chennai Super Kings became the first team to be eliminated from the IPL 2025 playoffs race with a four-wicket loss to Punjab Kings on April 30. CSK remained at the bottom of the points table with only four points, losing eight of their ten games so far in the tournament.