Ruturaj Gaikwad Sends Bold Warning To CSK’s Rivals For IPL 2025; Leaks MS Dhoni's Message

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) knocking at the door, the eighteenth season of the competition will begin on March 22. After a struggling season in 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, will aim to go for their sixth title in the upcoming edition.

Ruturaj Gaikwad will once again be back in his captaincy role. In a recent interaction, he revealed that he would remain silent when sledding but wouldn’t hold back if the opposing side targets his teammates during an encounter.

CSK’s decent IPL 2024 under Ruturaj Gaikwad

When it comes to his contributions with the bat, Ruturaj Gaikwad finished the last season of the tournament as the second leading run-getter with 583 runs in 14 innings at an average of 53 and a strike rate of 141.16, shouldering on four half-centuries and one century at the best score of unbeaten 108 runs.

Also Read: Huge Blow For Mumbai Indians!! Indian Legend Out Of The First Two Weeks Of IPL 2025

In 65 innings of the 20-over tournament, the opening batter has clubbed 2380 runs at an average of 41.75 and a strike rate of 136.86, shouldering one 18 half-centuries and two centuries at the best score 108*.

The Chennai Super Kings were inconsistent for the entire season last year. After a couple victories in their first two games of the season, the Gaikwad-led side faced two successive defeats. Then after two more wins in the group-stage of the event, the Whistle Podu army faces two more defeats.

The inconsistency continued for the 2023 champions as they couldn’t bag two successive wins in the last season. Going to the final league stage clash at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the CSK side needed to gain a victory against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by a significant margin, but their failure to do it restricted them at the fifth position in the competition.

Ruturaj Gaikwad warns IPL opponents on sledging

With the thrill awaiting the IPL 2025 season, the CSK side will be keen on showing the smooth transition of their leader from MS Dhoni to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who did a decent job in the role during the previous edition.

The Maharashtra batter has sent a brutal warning to his rival sides for the new season, as he reckoned that he would never be held back if someone sleds his teammate.

“If someone sleds me, I am more than happy to not say anything - but if I am the captain and if someone is sledding at my teammates, then I am not somebody who can hold back.” Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed this in a recent interaction.

He recalls Dhoni’s message while handing him the captaincy role a day before the start of the new season. Gaikwad leaked how the World Cup-winning captain assured him to be in full control of the franchise from the 2024 season.

“Just a week before the tournament last year, MS Dhoni came up to me and said, ‘I’m not leading this year—you are.’ I was taken aback, asking, ‘From the first game? Are you sure?’ With just a few days to prepare, it was overwhelming.” Ruturaj Gaikwad admitted.

Also Read: Rashid Latif Takes A Jibe At Wasim Akram And Waqar Younis’ Partiality For Pakistan Cricket

“But he assured me, ‘This is your team. You make your own decisions. I won’t interfere—except when field placements are a 50-50 call. Even then, it’s not a compulsion to follow my advice. That trust meant a lot to me.” The 28-year-old explained.

Chennai Super Kings to start IPL 2025 campaign on March 23

A day after the start of the new season, the Super Kings (CSK) will face the Mumbai Indians (MI) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 23 in the evening.

After hosting Bengaluru in the second game, they will play their first away fixture of the season at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati against Rajasthan Royals on March 30.