CSK gets a big blow before IPL 2026, bad news about MS Dhoni

By Samira Vishwas On Feb 23, 2026

Before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, a big news has come out from the camp of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The picture regarding Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s playing in the upcoming season is clear. However, the question still remains whether Dhoni will play in all the matches of Chennai Super Kings this year or not? However, a senior CSK franchise source has confirmed that he will be seen playing this season.

“We can confirm that he is coming to Chennai and he has confirmed his availability for the season. Whether he will play all the matches or not, we cannot say right now but he will definitely be seen playing this season,” a senior CSK source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Due to the impact player rule being implemented in the IPL, Dhoni has not been much needed as a batsman in the last two editions. His roles have largely depended on the situation, often limited to cameos at the end. In such a situation, it will be very interesting to see at which number and how much he bats in this season because Sanju Samson has also entered CSK, hence a lot of speculations are being made about Dhoni’s role.

In the upcoming season, CSK has three wicketkeeper batsmen in their line-up. In such a situation, it is certain that Samson will become the wicketkeeper in the matches in which Dhoni will not play. Apart from the new player Karthik Sharma worth Rs 14.20 crore, the team also has Urvil Patel, who can be seen as a finisher along with Shivam Dubey. Dhoni has been struggling with his knee and back problems in the last few years, so he probably will not play all the matches.

According to media reports, it is certain that Dhoni will play most of CSK’s home matches in Chennai and perhaps CSK fans can see Dhoni playing in IPL for the last time. In such a situation, he would like to not only see the fireworks of runs from Dhoni’s bat but also the Chennai team to win its sixth IPL trophy which it has not been able to win in the last few years.