'There's a new Lion King.' No MS Dhoni at toss, Twitter tries to make sense of a CSK sans Thala as skipper

Thursday cast a gloom on the millions of Indian Premier League (IPL) fans after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, in his inimitable style of pulling a surprise when least expected, got fans and Twitter in a Throwback Thursday mode. Literally.

MSD announced his decision to step down as the captain of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). And made it public that he was passing on the baton to his friend and comrade, Ravinder Singh Jadeja, who has been a constant in the Chennai club. In the high-profile IPL auctions held last month in Bangalore, CSK retained Dhoni for Rs 12 crore while Jadeja stayed with the team he has called home for Rs 16 crore.

And what followed on Twitter hours after Dhoni’s decision could be summed up as 'The agony of one man is the ecstacy of another.' Fans scrambled to make sense of the fact that Saturday's inaugural would not see a Virat Kohli doing banter with MSD during the toss. As hours went by, it slowly started to sink in among fans of CSK, and other IPL teams as well, that the boy from Ranchi who made Chennai his 'yellove' home would not be seen at the toss.


No, the Lt Colonel in the Army took everyone by surprise - like he mostly does with all his big announcements including his Test retirement, his ODI sign-off - and set off a flurry of flashback of memories among fans.

OTT brand went back in time to 'The Lion King' to sum up the state of affairs in the CSK camp. And put out a visually-telling tweet that has seen close to 21K Likes!


With Dhoni on board, each IPL match was nothing short of a festival for MSD and CSK fans. Under Dhoni, CSK won 121 out of 204 matches and four titles in 2011, 2012, 2018, and 2021. And that explains why veteran cricketer-turned-commentator Kris Srikkanth hailed Dhoni’s leadership and the "legacy he leaves for Jadeja to carry the baton of the best team in the IPL by a mile."

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Kohli, who has shared some great moments with Captain Cool on the pitch, called it a "legendary captaincy tenure." The 33-year-old Kohli, who recently made news when he stepped down as the Indian Test captain in January, kept it short and subtle with an image of him hugging Dhoni.

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A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli)

The official handle of IPL shared a montage of Dhoni’s moments as CSK captain, while Wisden India captured the gulf of emptiness with its tweet.


Rajasthan Royals through its official Twitter handle kept it stylish with “It's been a pleasure, MS Dhoni.” While Punjab Kings wished the incumbent Jadeja good luck.

West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, a CSK fixture himself and one who has been an ardent fan of MSD himself, took to his Instagram handle and posted an emotional tribute.

"Thank You for everything @mahi7781 your legacy will live on forever!! #Brother @chennaiipl couldn’t ask for a better person to take over @ravindra.jadeja congratulations! it’s your time Sir!! #NumberOne," Bravo wrote in his post on Instagram.

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A post shared by Dwayne Bravo aka SIR Champion🏆 (@djbravo47)

Although Dhoni handed over the leadership duties to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, he will continue as a player for one more season.
Meanwhile, Suresh Raina in a tweet expressed his joy at Jadeja’s selection as the next captain of CSK. “Absolutely thrilled for my brother. I can't think of anyone better to take over the reins of a franchise we both had grown up in. All the best @imjadeja. It's an exciting phase and I'm sure you will live up to all the expectations and love,” Raina tweeted.

Meanwhile, former pacer Irfan Pathan wished MSD and hoped that he ended his career on a high note. “Timing has always been the key for MS. Well done on your leadership and mind-blowing results over the years for CSK. Would like to see him finish on a high,” he tweeted.