• Dhoni gives up CSK captaincy

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    Veteran star MS Dhoni has handed the captaincy of IPL champions the Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad.

    CSK take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the IPL mega-show opens in Chennai on Friday.

    The season could be Chennai veteran Dhoni’s swansong, after the warhorse led the team to its fifth title in 2023.

    He said then that another year was a “gift” to his fans.

    The 42-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who led India to two World Cup triumphs, in 2007 and 2011, remains a huge star in cricket-crazy India.

    New captain Gaikwad, a 27-year-old right-hand batsman, shot to fame in 2021 when his attacking style earned him a hefty 635 runs for the Super Kings.

    The 17th edition of the world’s richest cricket league is expected to end around 1 June, when the World Cup starts in the West Indies and USA.

    Organisers have released only the first two weeks of the IPL schedule so far because it clashes with India’s six-week-long general election. Last season the 10-team IPL lasted eight weeks.

    © Agence France-Presse

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    Simon Borchardt