Reports were making rounds that the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni would act as a team leader while Ruturaj Gaikwad played the captain role. This meant that CSK had a last-minute call before IPL 2024 to appoint Gaikwad captain in place of Dhoni. Now, Dhoni opened up about his relationship with Gaikwad and how the changeover of captaincy came in. In an exclusive chat with JioHotstar, Dhoni said that he had told Gaikwad to lead CSK in 90% of IPL matches in 2025. According to Dhoni, the teams like to have batters to lead them as a long-term option rather than giving that role to injury-ridden bowlers, which would fit Gaikwad as the perfect alternative. He also added that all the major calls- field settings or bowling changes- were taken by Gaikwad while he guided him along the way. MS Dhoni Said: “Before the start of the tournament, I also told him, ‘If I give you advice, it doesn’t mean you have to follow it. I will try to stay away as much as possible.’ During the season, a lot of people speculated that I was making the decisions in the background. But the fact is, he was making 99% of the decisions,” Also Read | 'It feels like a sack of rice falling from the back of a truck': MS Dhoni on his keeping CSK kicked off its IPL 2025 campaign with a four-wicket win against the Mumbai Indians under Gaikwad's leadership. “Ruturaj has been part of us for quite some time. He has done well for us. His temperament is very good—he’s very calm, very composed. He and Fleming get along very well. So those were the reasons we considered him for leadership. We were quite sure Ruturaj would be good for us. After IPL last year, I almost immediately told him, ‘90% you will lead next season, so start preparing yourself mentally’,” Dhoni Adcded. Gaikwad-led CSK handed a 4-wicket Victory over Mumbai Indians to start their IPL 2025 campaign on a huge note. MS Dhoni said he had never meant to influence Ruturaj Gaikwad's decisions on the field. He added that he assured the CSK captain that he could choose to ignore "Thala" advice. In a recent episode of the MS Dhoni Experience, the former World Cup-winning captain stressed that he may be thought to influence decisions from behind, but in fact, it was Gaikwad in the driver's seat.