Is MS Dhoni's Farewell Tour Hurting CSK's Chances As A Team In IPL 2024?

May 29, 2023 - Chennai Super Kings have just defeated Gujarat Titans in a thriller to clinch the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 title. After the breathless action, the crowd got treated to an iconic celebration of MS Dhoni lifting Ravindra Jadeja, with the latter clinching victory in style for his side. The sound was almost deafening at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad as Dhoni led CSK to a record-equaling fifth IPL title but the hint of melancholy could not be missed. Multiple media reports and insiders predicted that Dhoni was all set to call it a day but the crowd was not ready to say goodbye to a legend of the modern game. The spectators waited in anticipation as Dhoni came to speak at the post-match presentation but to their delight, he announced that he will be playing the next season as a 'gift' for all the fans.  The stadium roared in approval of the decision and the farewell tour has been somewhat troublesome for CSK in 2024.

The IPL 2024 season started with Dhoni stepping down from CSK captaincy just ahead of the tournament and Ruturaj Gaikwad assuming the role. Ravindra Jadeja had earlier tried and failed to replace Dhoni as the CSK captain in 2022 but the support from fans and team management made one thing very clear - Gaikwad is the choice for the future and the entire 'Yellow Army' was behind him this time.

However, what did not stop was the chatter on how much influence Dhoni will have on the pitch. Hailed as one of the master tacticians of the game, Dhoni had proven in the past that he is capable of changing any game just by his acumen. As a result, the conversations never stopped and it even led to some experts wondering out loud about how much Gaikwad will be able to exercise his control over