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Cricket PlayersCSK CEO confirms MS Dhoni for IPL 2026, but full-season role remains uncertain
Just like the previous few seasons, there were doubts over his participation ahead of IPL 2026. But there is no guarantee he will feature in all games.
The word is finally out on MS Dhoni. Yes, he will play in the 2026 Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings. The league starts next month. In the last two seasons, Ruturaj Gaikwad has been the designated captain but whenever something happens to him like injuries, Dhoni is invariably brought back to the helm.
44-year-old Dhoni has not been scoring in a prolific way either in the last few years. If truth be told, he chooses to bat way down the order more often than not. Many believe he knows that he is finished as a player, and as a result he doesn't want to play too many balls and hurt his team's chances. Be that as it may, the IPL franchise doesn't want him to walk off into the sunset as they always find some way to persuade him to continue.
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CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan has told NDTV that the former India captain will continue playing in the upcoming season of the IPL.
Dhoni continues to be a fan favourite!
CSK fans for sure will rejoice this confirmation from Viswanathan. Even though, an unnamed CSK official has told PTI that Dhoni may not feature in all games. But as far CSK fans are concerned, having Dhoni all through the event in CSK's dugout should be enough.
Despite all the suspense around whether or not he will play in the IPL over the last few seasons, Dhoni has never categorically said that he is distancing himself from the IPL. His brand still has a lot of cachet and irrespective of where he plays, be it in Chennai or other grounds in the IPL, he still gets a very special kind of reception from the spectators.
Not long ago on a YouTube podcast, Dhoni had made it amply clear that he had no inclination to join the commentary box like most retired cricketers do. That was a massive giveaway, of course in hind sight.
“Commentary is very difficult. I feel there is a very fine line between describing the game and in that process getting into a zone where you start criticising individuals who are playing the game. It's a very thin line,” he said.
"Often, you don't even feel that what you are doing is may be borderline wrong. You would always like to be on the other side where you are describing the game. If you feel something is wrong you say it out.
"But how to put it, that is also an art, how to politely put it forward where nobody feels targeted...If the team is losing there are reasons behind it, and you need to have the skill of describing those reasons without anybody feeling bad. That is the art of commentary," he added.
