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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Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah mocks PM Modi’s vow to track, punish terrorists
Chamarajanagar (Karnataka), Apr 25 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement that India would identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers responsible for the Pahalgam attack “beyond their imagination.”
Siddaramaiah pointed out that Modi had made a similar statement after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, which killed over 40 soldiers.
"This happened even after he made the same statement in 2019. What did he say after the Pulwama terror attack? After that statement, 27 people were killed in Pahalgam by terrorists. He had then said he would wipe out terrorism. What happened?" Siddaramaiah told reporters here.
Responding to a query, he said he had no information about what transpired at the all-party meeting held on Thursday in New Delhi. "There were a lot of people around me, and I couldn’t follow it properly."
"It’s a central intelligence failure," Siddaramaiah alleged.
Terrorists opened fire at a tourist spot near Pahalgam in Kashmir on the afternoon of April 22, killing 26 people—mostly tourists—in the deadliest attack in the Valley since the 2019 Pulwama strike.
