With just couple of days before kicking-off their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defense, defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made a big change to their leadership as ace all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has been appointed as the new skipper.
Issuing a statement on Thursday, the four-time IPL champions said: “MS Dhoni has decided to hand over the leadership of Chennai Super Kings and picked Ravindra Jadeja to lead the team. Jadeja, who has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2012, will only be the third player to lead CSK. Dhoni will continue to represent Chennai Super Kings this season and beyond.”
Under Dhoni’s captaincy, the Yellow Brigade lifted the coveted trophy in the year 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and also won the now abandoned Champions League T20 (CLT20) in 2010 and 2014.
The Jadeja-led CSK will begin their IPL 2022 campaign against four-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 26 at the hostoric Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai before taking on newly-inducted Lucknow Supergiants (LSG) at the Brabourne Stadium on March 31.
Notably, the upcoming IPL season will begin on March 26 and will be played in a bio-secure environment at a single hub to avoid air travel, considered as a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection, thereby affecting the players and tournament.
While 55 matches are scheduled to be held in Mumbai, the remaining 15 games will be staged in Pune while the playoffs’ venues haven’t been decided yet. Is most likley that the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad will stage the playoffs however, no official announcement has been made yet.
In the upcoming season, the 10 teams have been divided into two groups. While Group A comprises of Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, Group B includes Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
From this year onwards, the lucrative league will be a ten-team affair following the addition of the two new teams – Ahmedabad and Lucknow and will have a total of 74 games.