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Ruturaj Gaikwad was seen arriving with the CSK team to Mumbai for their big clash against MI in IPL 2025.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (L) and MS Dhoni in Mumbai. (PC: Instagram/viralbhayani)
Chennai Super Kings stand-in captain MS Dhoni and the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad arrived with their families in Mumbai for the big IPL 2025 clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) to a unique welcome. In a video shared by viralbhayani on Instagram, Dhoni and Gaikwad, among other members of the team, can be seen sporting shy smiles as they enter what looks like a hotel in front of some staff members putting up a small dance.
Gaikwad’s presence with the team is interesting, for the Maharashtra batter has already been ruled out of the IPL 2025 season due to an injury. He was hit by Rajasthan Royals’ Tushar Deshpande and although he played the following two games, CSK said they were recommended that he shouldn’t continue. Dhoni took over the team two matches ago and has led them to one win and one loss since.
Watch the video here:
“He [Gaikwad] got hit in Guwahati,” CSK coach Stephen Fleming said about the injury. “He’s been operating with an amount of pain. We got an X-ray, which was inconclusive, and we had an MRI, which revealed a fracture in his elbow, in the radial neck. So we’re disappointed, and feel for him. We appreciate the efforts that he’s gone to in terms of trying to play, but unfortunately, he’d be out of the tournament from now. We have an uncapped player, MS Dhoni, who will take over as captain for the remainder of the IPL.”
CSK are currently placed 10th in the points table and would be desperate to beat MI at the Wankhede Stadium. How the pitch behaves would be a big talking point considering CSK’s spin might and MI’s issues with it due to Karn Sharma’s injury.
“Not sure what it’s going to play like (against Chennai) but we speak as a unit, adapting as fast as we can,” former CSK and current MI player Mitchell Santner said in the pre-match press conference. “Traditionally, it is a very good wicket so if it is like that, it’s (about) getting in and out of overs. If it is like that, we know how to bowl and then if it is flat, like the Bangalore (RCB) game, we know that (too) — try and get in and out of overs. The only way to slow teams down is wickets as we’ve seen this IPL,” he added.
