NEW DELHI, March 22, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Veteran star M.S. Dhoni has handed the captaincy of IPL champions Chennai Super Kings to Ruturaj Gaikwad, the club said Thursday ahead of the league's first match.

Chennai Super Kings take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the Indian Premier League mega-show opens in Chennai on Friday.

"M.S. Dhoni has handed over Chennai Super Kings' captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad," the club said.

"Ruturaj has been an integral part of Chennai Super Kings since 2019 and has played 52 matches in IPL during this period."

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 batter, shot to fame in 2021 when his attacking style earned him a hefty 635 runs for the Chennai Super Kings.

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

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.