Ruturaj Gaikwad's youthful leadership template will meet its match in Faf du Plessis' time-tested improvisations as defending champions Chennai Super Kings clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League (IPL) opener on Friday. This will be Gaikwad’s first year as an IPL captain and with Ravindra Jadeja in the form of his life, MS Dhoni not losing one bit of his consistency and Ajinkya Rahane having his worth weight in gold, reigning champions Chennai are once again the team to beat this season.

Thursday saw the reins of CSK leadership passing into the capable hands of Gaikwad, a dynamic middle-order batter, who had led the Indian team to gold medal in the Asian Games last year. The ramifications of this leadership shift are profound, marking a new chapter in the annals of IPL history.