Former India player turned veteran commentator Aakash Chopra has picked Ruturaj Gaikwad as the CSK player with the greatest opportunity in IPL 2025. He also added that Gaikwad has a chance to lead the team to a record sixth title in what could potentially be MS Dhoni’s last season as a player as well. However, CSK appointed Gaikwad as their captain last season. He was retained for ₹18 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, alongside Ravindra Jadeja (₹18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (₹13 crore), Shivam Dube (₹12 crore) and Dhoni (₹4 crore) as well.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, he said, “Ruturaj Gaikwad has got the opportunity to lead an incredible franchise. Although he gets acceptance, everyone gave him love when Dhoni gave the captaincy to him with his own hands, he has to carry the legacy forward. So that pressure will definitely be there. They are okay with it even though the first season might not have been good and you didn’t qualify.”
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“However, if a franchise like Chennai remains non-performing continuously, doesn’t reach the finals or lifts the trophy, then there will be pressure. We don’t know how many more years Dhoni would play. This might be the last year. If this is the last year, you want to bid him goodbye with a trophy. So it could be a massive opportunity for Ruturaj Gaikwad,” Chopra further added.
However, Aakash Chopra also said that some of the Chennai Super Kings’ new signings like Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar
would have the opportunity to step up in IPL 2025.
“Then the lesser-known Indian names – Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar. When it seems like players are not getting chances anywhere or are not doing well, things have worked out after coming to this franchise many times. I feel whoever goes to that franchise, it’s a huge opportunity because they will be given chances properly. They will prepared properly and given confidence. They create players. Whatever the best is possible, they try and extract that from people and take them along with love,” Aakash Chopra concluded.
