Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the side for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

The batter was appointed skipper in the 2024 season but handed over the reins to M.S. Dhoni midway through the 2025 season after he was ruled out due to an injury.

Further, CSK trading in Sanju Samson in place of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran had raised speculation that the five-time champion may prefer the former Rajasthan Royals player as captain.

READ | CSK retained and released players list before IPL 2026 auction

However, shortly after the player retention deadline on Saturday, CSK confirmed that Gaikwad will take charge again.

Gaikwad was last in action during the unofficial one-day between India-A and South Africa-A where he ended up scoring a match-winning 117 off 129 balls.

Published on Nov 15, 2025