Ravindra Jadeja surprised the cricketing
world with his decision to relinquish Chennai Super Kings just after leading
the team in eight matches in IPL 2022 on Saturday. Jadeja was appointed captain after MS
Dhoni stepped down on the eve of the season opener. Under Jadeja, CSK, the defending champions, failed to give
their campaign a shape. With two wins and six losses, CSK are now 9th on the
points table, just above Mumbai Indians, who are already out of the playoff
race.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Chennai Super Kings couldn’t move on from MS Dhoni

It was obvious to claim that Jadeja, under
pressure, gave the captaincy baton back to MS Dhoni. But was it really his
decision to quit midseason or did management interfere as CSK are now on the
brink of elimination?

According to a report on Cricbuzz, though
CSK owners never directly interfered in the cricketing matter when Dhoni was
the captain, the latest change in captaincy is not a mutual agreement between
Jadeja and Dhoni. Ahead of the ongoing season, Dhoni was more interested to
focus on his game. However, during the matches in the IPL 2022, he was spotted
changing the field while Jadeja followed his instructions.

Also Read: Jadeja hands over CSK captaincy to Dhoni: How did midseason captaincy changes work in past?

For the record, franchise CEO Kasi
Viswanathan said the decision was made on Saturday evening. “The team
management has conveyed this to us and we have accepted,” Kasi told
Cricbuzz.

But it is not as simple as that statement
appears. The management was unhappy when CSK lost game after game under
Jadeja. So, it was palpable that CSK would not continue with Jadeja as captain for long.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Are Gujarat Titans the team to beat this season?

At some point in the last three days,
discussions started on reinstating Dhoni as the captain. The main worry was not
exactly the poor leadership of Jadeja, but his poor form.

“The management cannot be silent that
the world’s best all-rounder is not performing to his best. Obviously, he is
weighed down by the burden of captaincy,” Cricbuzz quoted a CSK insider.

Also Read: IPL 2022: Ravindra Jadeja hands back CSK captaincy to Dhoni

This season, Jadeja, who has been an
outstanding performer for the team in IPL, has largely been out of form. He could score 112 runs and take five wickets (average 42, 8.19 economy rate) in eight
games. “He even started dropping catches,” the insider reminded.

CSK are currently ninth on the points table.
Officially, they are still in competition for a playoff berth but with six
matches remaining a loss would prove costly. However, CSK management is hopeful
of a wonderful comeback under Dhoni.

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Dhoni has a strong say in CSK team
management. Even when he stepped down, he singlehandedly appointed Jadeja as
captain. No option left now, CSK handed it back to Dhoni to change the fortune
of the franchise.