The journey of these 4 star players may end after IPL 2026, big names also included in the list

IPL 2026: Indian Premier League The 19th season of IPL is going to start soon and cricket fans are very excited for it. The Indian Premier League 2026 will start from March 28, when the first match will be played between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. This match will be held at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

This season too, fans will get a chance to see many legendary players on the field. Big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni will be part of this league. Out of these, Dhoni now plays only in IPL, whereas Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are also currently seen playing in One Day International and IPL only.

However, this time’s IPL may be very special for some players. It is believed that for some experienced cricketers, this may prove to be the last season as a player. Let us know who are those players?

MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings)

• Mahendra Singh Dhoni is counted among the most successful captains in IPL history. He has made Chennai Super Kings champion five times under his captaincy.
• Dhoni has been associated with the Chennai team since the first season of IPL, although he could not play in it due to the ban on the team in 2016 and 2017.
• At present Dhoni is not the captain of the team, but last season he had to take over the responsibility of captaincy again after captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Now he is busy preparing for IPL 2026 and it is believed that this could be his last season as a player.
• For IPL 2026, Chennai Super Kings have included Sanju Samson in their team, who is being considered as the possible successor to Dhoni. Sanju Samson was the Player of the Tournament in the recently concluded T20 World Cup 2026. If we look at Dhoni’s IPL career, he has scored 5439 runs in 278 matches, which includes 24 half-centuries.

Ajinkya Rahane (Kolkata Knight Riders)

• Kolkata Knight Riders have decided to keep Ajinkya Rahane as the captain for IPL 2026. However, this season is considered very important for him as a batsman.
• If Rahane’s performance is not good this season, then this may prove to be his last IPL season. If 37-year-old Rahane is released by Kolkata Knight Riders, it may be difficult for any other team to buy him.
• Rahane has played 198 matches in IPL so far and has scored 5032 runs. During this period he has scored 33 half-centuries and 2 centuries.

Ishant Sharma (Gujarat Titans)

• Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma is also among those players for whom this season can be very important. 37-year-old Ishant has taken 96 wickets in 117 matches in IPL.
• Last season he played for Gujarat Titans, but his performance was not as expected. He took only 4 wickets in 7 matches and his economy rate was 11.18.
• He is a part of the same team in the upcoming season also, but if his performance remains the same then his IPL career may end after this season.

Marcus Stoinis (Punjab Kings)

• Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is also among those players for whom IPL 2026 can be very important. He is a part of Punjab Kings and the team had retained him at a price of Rs 11 crore.
• Stoinis has scored 2026 runs and taken 44 wickets in 109 matches while playing for four different teams in IPL. 36-year-old Stoinis is known for his explosive batting and has played many important innings.
• However, his performance for some time has not been as per expectations. If his bat does not work in IPL 2026 and Punjab Kings releases him, then this season may prove to be his last IPL season as a player.