New Delhi, Mar 21 (IANS): Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad feels ‘privileged’ about taking the captaincy reins from M.S. Dhoni and expressed confidence in the team with the blended experience of Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane around.

The CSK on Thursday named opener Ruturaj Gaikwad as the successor of M.S. Dhoni as their captain, leaving him big shoes to fill as he takes over from a legend. CSK secured the services of Gaikwad at the IPL 2019 player auction and since then he hasn’t disappointed with the bat and will now lead the squad.

Gaikwad in a video posted by CSK, X (formerly Twitter) handle looked confident and felt privileged to get the charge of leading the team in the season-opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday.

“It feels good, obviously it’s a privilege to lead the team. It’s a huge responsibility and I am really excited because of the kind of group we have. Everyone's experienced enough, so not much to worry about," said Gaikwad in a video posted by CSK on X.

"I have Mahi bhai in the team, Jaddu bhai (Ravindra Jadeja), Ajju bhai (Ajinkya Rahane), so nothing much to worry about. I am just looking forward to enjoying it,” said Gaikwad.

Gaikwad has played 52 matches in his IPL career so far and scored 1797 runs, with an average of 39.07, with his highest IPL score being 101 not out. In the IPL Auction 2024, Chennai acquired him for Rs 6.00 crore.