The perennial question around MS Dhoni's future resurfaced once again as the Indian Premier League caravan readies for the 2026 season - will the iconic former skipper feature in all matches for Chennai Super Kings this year? Dhoni, who will turn 45 later this year, will be available for CSK for the upcoming IPL season, a top franchise source confirmed.
However, with CSK's prize transfer, Sanju Samson now in the ranks, a report in the PTI has claimed that it is unlikely that the legendary former India captain would play all the league games. "We can confirm this much that he is coming to Chennai and has confirmed his availability for the season," a top CSK source was quoted by PTI as saying.
"Whether he will play all games or not is something we can't say at the moment," the source added. In any case, with the Impact Player rule in place, Dhoni the batter has not been required extensively over the past two editions. His role has largely been situational, often limited to late-order cameos. This season, CSK have three wicketkeeper-batters in their line-up. Samson is certain to don the gloves in games where Dhoni does not feature. There is also Urvil Patel in the squad, besides the Rs 14.20 crore recruit, rookie Kartik Sharma, who will be groomed as a finisher alongside Shivam Dube.
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Over the years, Dhoni has managed issues related to his knee and back, and the physical demands of keeping wickets with limited turnaround time between matches can take a toll at this stage of his career. What appears certain, though, is that Dhoni will play most of CSK's home games in Chennai, where his mere walk into the Chepauk arena sends the crowd into a frenzy, underlining his enduring bond with the franchise and its faithful supporters.
Having come up with a new approach with the signings of youngsters in the auction, CSK will be looking to produce an improved effort. They had a horrible outing last season in the absence of the regular skipper, Ruturaj, finishing last with just four wins in 14 matches. Having stepped down from the captaincy ahead of the IPL 2024, Dhoni led the side last season after Ruturaj was ruled out due to an injury. The five-time champions will be without their senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who was traded to the Rajasthan Royals ahead of the auction.