Chennai, April 4
Chennai Super Kings batting coach Michael Hussey has hinted at MS Dhoni leading the side in their IPL 2025 clash against Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday if regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad doesn’t recover in time from his elbow injury.
Gaikwad had taken a blow on his right forearm while trying to step down the pitch off Tushar Deshpande in the second over during CSK’s defeat to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati on Sunday. "I don't think we've actually thought about that (captaincy) too much. Well, I haven't thought about it too much.”
“I'm sure Stephen Fleming (head coach) and Rutu have thought about that. But we've got some young guy coming through. He's behind the stumps. Maybe he can do a good job. I'm not sure. He's got a bit of experience in the role, so maybe he could do it. But I'm not exactly sure, to be honest," said Hussey in the pre-match press conference on Friday.
If Gaikwad isn’t fit in time, then it means CSK will have to reshuffle its middle-order yet again. Devon Conway is the reserve top-order batting option and could open with Rachin Ravindra, with Rahul Tripathi coming at number three. Dhoni’s last game as an IPL captain saw him lead CSK to a thrilling 2023 final win over Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
CSK’s top-order haven't posted big scores so far, but Hussey expressed faith in them coming good against DC, who are yet to lose a game in the competition. “I think we have come up against some pretty good bowling in the PowerPlay. We haven’t been able to get off to those flying starts just yet.”
“But I am still confident if we continue with the similar process, hopefully if the ball doesn’t move around as much, we will be able to become more proactive. In other games and conditions, teams can take more risk if the ball is not swinging or bouncing as much.”
“RCB utilised the extra pace and bounce very well and made it difficult for our batters. Against Rajasthan, they bowled really well with the new ball and put us under pressure. We would have liked to get off to a faster start, but I don’t think we need to panic too much about it,” he concluded.