The Mahendra Singh Dhoni fans might get a treat from their “Thala” on Saturday.

No, Dhoni has not said that he will promote himself up the batting order to satiate the hunger of those who want to see their favourite player bat more in the IPL. But with regular captain Ruturaj Gaikwad injured, Chennai Super Kings might see a return of Dhoni the captain when they take on Delhi Capitals at their den in Chennai.

Gaikwad had suffered a blow on his elbow while batting in their last game against Rajasthan Royals. “Ruturaj Gaikwad’s participation in tomorrow’s game will depend on how well he (has) recovered,” CSK batting coach Michael Hussey said on Friday. “He is still sore... If he doesn’t play, not sure who will lead,” the Australian great added.

There are other senior players on the CSK roster who can take over the captaincy baton for Saturday’s match, but it is unlikely that the team would look beyond Dhoni. Ravindra Jadeja is there, but the last time he was tried as the CSK skipper, the result was disastrous. And Ravichandran Ashwin has just rejoined the franchise this year, so it is unlikely that the spinner would be burdened with that responsibility.

“I don’t think we’ve actually thought about that (captaincy) too much. Well, I haven’t thought about it too much. I’m sure Stephen Fleming (CSK head coach) and Rutu have thought about that. But we’ve got some young guy coming through. He’s behind the stumps. Maybe he can do a good job. I’m not sure. He’s got a bit of experience in the role, so maybe he could do it.”

Gaikwad had replaced Dhoni as the full-time CSK skipper at the beginning of IPL 2024.

CSK will look to bring their campaign back on track after two losses from three games. But that will not be easy against Axar Patel-captained Capitals, who have won both the matches they have played so far. But then, with Dhoni at the helm, CSK can’t be blamed if they are ambitious.

Eye on Jaiswal

Yashasvi Jaiswal made the headlines for his decision to dump Mumbai and play for Goa in the domestic circuit. But the left-handed opener would rather like to grab the spotlight with his batting, something he hasn’t been doing well in this IPL so far.

With scores of 1, 29 and 4, Jaiswal will hope to hit form when Rajasthan Royals take on Punjab Kings in Mullanpur on Saturday. But that will be difficult against a Punjab team who have perhaps been the best side of the season so far under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy.

Yashasvi will hope his runs return with Sanju Samson coming back as the regular captain of the Royals. The team was captained by Riyan Parag in the first three games as Samson was not fully fit.