Fri Apr 11 15:00:00 UTC 2025: ## Dhoni Makes History as Oldest IPL Captain

**Chennai, India** – MS Dhoni etched his name in IPL history on April 11th, 2025, becoming the oldest captain in the tournament’s history at the age of 43 years and 278 days. This milestone was achieved during the 25th match of IPL 2025 between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Dhoni’s captaincy debut this season comes after regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament due to injury. This match also marked a unique achievement: Dhoni is the first ever uncapped player to captain an IPL team. The BCCI’s new “uncapped player” rule, implemented before the IPL 2025 mega-auction, classifies players who haven’t played international cricket in the past five years as uncapped. Dhoni’s last international match was in 2019.

Winning the toss, Dhoni elected to bat first, citing inconsistent batting performances in previous matches and the anticipation of a slower pitch later in the game. He emphasized the importance of small details, such as catching and building small partnerships, to improve the team’s performance. He also highlighted the team’s intent to focus on its strengths, acknowledging both significant losses and close defeats in previous games. The CSK lineup saw Rahul Tripathi and Anshul Kamboj replace Ruturaj Gaikwad and Mukesh Choudhary respectively. KKR replaced Spencer Johnson with Moeen Ali.

Dhoni surpasses former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist’s previous record as the oldest IPL captain. This historic moment further cements Dhoni’s legacy as one of the greatest figures in IPL history.

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