MS Dhoni resigns as CSK captain, Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead side
In a shocking development, MS Dhoni, the veteran skipper of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), has stepped down from the captaincy just before the IPL 2024. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was supposed to replace him at the helm, will lead the Yellow Army, as confirmed by the IPL website.
Dhoni, who has been captaining CSK ever since the inception of the tournament, decided to quit his captaincy just before the IPL 2022. Ravindra Jadeja took on the leadership duties in his absence. However, it did not last long after CSK’s torrid performances under Jadeja’s captaincy, leaving CSK management to request Dhoni to rethink his decision again.
There have been plenty of rumours around the participation of Dhoni, who has now turned 42. Despite the fact that he looked fitter than ever in his recent practice sessions, there is a time when everyone has to hang up their boots. Now, speculations have resurfaced that this could be the last year for Dhoni in IPL.
Ruturaj made his IPL debut in 2020, and since then, he has only played for one franchise: Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Over the years, he has become quite a figure with supreme consistency at the top, having aggregated 1797 runs in 52 matches at an average of 39.07 and a strike rate of 135.52. His best IPL season came in 2021, when he tallied 635 runs over 16 outings at a spectacular average of 45.35.
Gaikwad will have his first match as CSK’s captain when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2024 opener at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
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Chadha, others wouldn't have left AAP had it followed 'right' path: Anna Hazare
Mumbai (PTI): Social activist Anna Hazare has said Raghav Chadha and six other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha members would not have quit the party had it followed the "right" path.
"Everyone has the right to hold an opinion in a democracy. They (Chadha and others) must have faced some trouble, which is why they left," Hazare told reporters on Friday in Ahilyanagar district of Maharashtra.
AAP Rajya Sabha members Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak addressed a joint press conference in Delhi on Friday, announcing their exit from the Arvind Kejriwal-led party to join the BJP.
Chadha claimed that nearly two-thirds of AAP's Rajya Sabha members had quit the party and would function as a separate faction.
"It is their (AAP leadership’s) fault. Had that party followed the right way, they would not have left," Hazare said.
Hazare reiterated that Chadha and others must have faced difficulties within AAP, and that is why they left. "Had the party gone in the right direction, they would not have quit the party," he added.
"There must be some or the other reason (for their leaving AAP). In a democracy, every person has a view about where to stay and leave," Hazare said.
The Chadha-led exodus marks a significant setback for the Kejriwal-led party since its formation in 2012, which followed the momentum of Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement.
