Chennai Super Kings CEO confirms MS Dhoni's active participation in IPL 2026, addressing fan speculation amid the 44-year-old's ongoing fitness regimen
and the franchise's squad rebuild.
With Sanju Samson traded in as a wicketkeeping option from Rajasthan Royals, in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, questions arose about Dhoni shifting to a pure mentoring role, but recent revelation from the CEO indicates the veteran may play all the matches.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan stated outright to reporters, "He will play the matches, all matches. "
Dhoni, no longer captaining but retained at ₹4 crore, has ramped up preparations, starting intensive sessions in Ranchi last month before shifting to Chennai's high-performance centre. The former India captain has been spending time with the other CSK players at the pre-season camp and has looked sharp in those outings.
On specifics like Impact Player usage, Viswanathan noted, "I can't say. That's a cricketing decision which will be taken by the cricketing staff, not by the administrative staff. They will decide whether he is going to play as a batter, or a wicketkeeper-batter or as an Impact Player. "
CSK look for strong IPL 2026 Campaign
CSK retained a mix of 15 players including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Noor Ahmad, and uncapped talents like Ayush Mhatre and Urvil Patel, while trading in Samson at his ₹18 crore value.
Auction splurges targeted youth as uncapped all-rounders Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma each fetched a record ₹14.20 crore. Samson, on the back of a stellar T20 World Cup with India, will be vying for a dream start with the Super Kings.
What's The Twist?
If you are wondering what the twist is, it is a simple one - the Team Balance. With Sanju Samson in the ranks now, what will be the role for MS Dhoni?
Dhoni, at the age of 44, is still going but has definitely lost a lot of legs in the last couple of years. If he is handed the wicketkeeping role, Sanju Samson's role as a solitary batter and an outfielder becomes another tricky move. Samson, who is at home behind the stumps, would ideally want the same role at CSK as well.
MS Dhoni vs Sanju Samson Comparison
The realistic option for the CSK team management is to use Dhoni as an Impact Player with the bat. But over the last couple of years, Dhoni has reduced his batting time in the IPL, often coming in at latter overs to put less stress on his knees with the running between the wickets. Hence it is to be seen how the Chennai management utilizes the veteran as the season is on the horizon. Chennai Super Kings will open their IPL 2026 account with an away match against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on March 30.
