These four legendary players will play their last IPL in 2026, can take retirement after the tournament

There are less than two weeks left for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) to start. The first match will be played between last year’s champions Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28. Fans are eager to see legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and MS Dhoni on the field. Dhoni plays only in IPL, while Rohit and Kohli play only in One Day International and IPL. Here, we highlight four players for whom IPL 2026 could be their last season as players.

MS Dhoni (CSK)

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most successful captains of IPL, who has made CSK champion 5 times under his captaincy. He has been playing for Chennai Super Kings since its inaugural season (except 2016 and 2017). Although he is no longer the captain, he took over the captaincy last season after Rituraj Gaikwade resigned. Dhoni is currently preparing for IPL 2026, which could be his last season as a player.

For IPL 2026, CSK has included Sanju Samson in its team, who is considered to be Dhoni’s successor. Sanju was the Player of the Tournament in the recently completed T20 World Cup 2026. Dhoni has scored 5,439 runs in 278 matches, which includes 24 half-centuries.

Ajinkya Rahane (KKR)

Kolkata Knight Riders has clarified that Ajinkya Rahane will be the captain in IPL 2026. However, if Rahane’s season as a batsman fails, it could be his last season. If KKR releases 37-year-old Rahane, the chances of any new team buying him are very less. Rahane has scored 5,032 runs in 198 IPL matches, which includes 33 half-centuries and two centuries.

Ishant Sharma(GT)

37 year old fast bowler Ishant Sharma has taken 96 wickets in 117 IPL matches. Last season, Ishant joined Gujarat Titans, but his performance did not live up to expectations. He took only four wickets in seven matches, whose economy rate was 11.18. He will play for the same team in the next season, but if his performance continues like this then the situation may become difficult for him. This means that his IPL career will depend on this season.

Marcus Stoinis (PBKS)

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has been included in the Punjab Kings team, whom the team has retained for Rs 11 crore. Stoinis has played 109 matches for four teams in IPL, in which he has scored 2,026 runs and taken 44 wickets. 36-year-old Stoinis is an explosive batsman who has played many important innings, but he has not been able to perform as expected for quite some time. If his performance in IPL fails and Punjab Kings releases him, then this season (IPL 2026) may prove to be his last season as a player.