IPL 2023: Not Ravindra Jadeja or Ben Stokes! Suresh Raina picks his choice as MS Dhoni's successor at CSK
IPL 2023 - Suresh Raina picks his choice as MS Dhoni's successor at CSK (Photo | BCCI/IPL).
Cricket fans are gearing up for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 edition, which kicks off on March 31. The opening game will see defending champions Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT) take on MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the iconic Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium, Ahmedabad. The forthcoming edition will have all the eyes on Dhoni who might be playing his last IPL season. After CSK ended at the ninth spot in the points table in IPL 2022, they will be desperate to turn the tides this time around in what can be the last season of Dhoni in IPL history.
Ahead of the IPL season opener, CSK's former star player Suresh Raina picked his choice as Dhoni's successor. While many believe Ben Stokes is likely to take over from Dhoni ever since he was roped in by the Yellow Army in the last auction, Raina named Ruturaj Gaikwad as Dhoni's successor.
In an interaction with Jio Cinema, Raina said, "Abhi Mahi bhai hain, I really want Ruturaj Gaikwad to nurture around him. I think Mahi bhai has a good brain. Definitely, he is around the boys. So yeah, I would say, hopefully, Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has done really well this season and I want him to do well for the country as well as Chennai Super Kings. Rutu, good luck for your captaincy brother!"
Gaikwad has been part of CSK since IPL 2020 and has amassed1,207 runs with 1 ton and 11 half-centuries at a strike rate of130.35.
Speaking on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023, Raina also spoke at length on Dhoni's IPL future. While he wants Dhoni to take part in the LLC as well, Chinna Thala Raina feels the former Indian captain can play in IPL 2024 as well."I wish he could, but we’ll have to see what his commitments are. He can play the IPL next year as well, you never know."
Raina reflected on CSK's chance and added, "It may be a little challenging since him (Dhoni)and (Ambati) Rayudu haven’t played the tournament for one year. I think the team is quite strong, a lot of young players are coming through the ranks. (Ruturaj) Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja), (Ben) Stokes, Deepak Chahar…and there are more young and dynamic players on that side. Let’s see how they play."
CSK squad for IPL 2023
MS Dhoni (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Ajinkya Rahane, Ben Stokes, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Kyle Jamieson, Ajay Mandal, Bhagath Varma