IPL 2026 Auction: There are always a lot of eyeballs on everything that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) tend to do. Afterall, they are the five-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL). For years, MS Dhoni and Chennai have been synonymous with each other. However, finally it seems like Dhoni might no longer be part of at least the franchise’s playing contingent after the end of the 2026 season, going by their investment in youth.
Having said that there is no official statement from the franchise themselves and if the hardcore Chennai fan sentiment is anything to go by, Dhoni will have to continue to walk into bat for years to come.
However, former India and CSK star Robin Uthappa feels that this could well be Dhoni’s last season.
“I think the writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni’s last season. No more conjecture, no more speculation,” Uthappa told JioHotstar on Tuesday.
“All the signs point towards that when you look at the investment in youth and the kind of teams they have picked since last year.”
CSK invest in youth
CSK have invested in youth big time. The two of their costliest picks- in Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer- have not even played an international match and are even far from a reckoning in the national setup. Both set records for being the costliest uncapped Indians ever in the history of the IPL, fetching a bid of Rs 14.20 crore each from the Men in Yellow.
With Sanju Samson already traded in from Rajasthan Royals as an Indian wicketkeeper-batter who can slot in the top six in the batting order and a young leader in Ruturaj Gaikwad plus a long-term potential successor of Jadeja in Prashant, the 2026 season could well be Dhoni’s last season in the T20 league.
MS Dhoni retired from international cricket in 2020
MS Dhoni announced his decision to retire from international cricket in 2020. His last match in the Blue jersey came in the 2019 ODI World Cup. However, since then he has been pretty much an active player for the Super Kings even guiding them to their fifth title in 2023.
In 2021, Dhoni scored 114 runs at a strike rate of 106.54, in 2022 the right-handed batter accumulated 232 runs at a strike rate of 123.40. In the subsequent year, the season in which Chennai were crowned the champions, Dhoni made 104 runs at a strike rate of 182.46. 2024 edition saw 161 runs come off the bat of Dhoni with the master finisher striking at 220.55. In IPL 2025, Dhoni made 196 runs at 135.17, an overall disappointing season for the franchise.