Ruturaj Gaikwad has taken over the captaincy of the Chennai Super Kings ahead of the IPL 2024 season, as announced after his attendance at the captains' meeting in Chennai on March 21.

Gaikwad assumes leadership from MS Dhoni, who led the team since the inception of the IPL and secured five championship titles, jointly holding the record with Mumbai Indians' Rohit Sharma.

Gaikwad, who made his CSK debut in 2020, has played a total of 52 IPL matches and has been an integral part of the team since 2019. Notably, he showcased his prowess as a right-handed opener last year, accumulating 590 runs in 16 games with an impressive strike rate of 147.50.

In a statement released on their website, CSK confirmed the change in leadership and expressed anticipation for the upcoming season under Gaikwad's captaincy.

MS Dhoni, renowned for his remarkable journey from a railway ticket collector to one of India's most successful cricket captains, leaves behind an illustrious legacy. Under his leadership, CSK clinched five IPL titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023, as well as two CLT20 titles in 2010 and 2014.

Dhoni, a prolific right-handed batter, has amassed 5,082 runs in 250 IPL matches, predominantly representing CSK. Additionally, he has 142 catches and 42 stumpings to his name.

CSK is scheduled to kick off their IPL 2024 campaign against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on Friday.

CSK squad for IPL 2024: MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.