After missing the IPL, MS Dhoni is promoting the inaugural edition of the Jharkhand T20 league

For the first time in over two decades MS Dhoni watched the entire IPL season from the sidelines. A nagging injury kept him out of the Chennai Super Kings squad for IPL 2026 and the familiar sight of Dhoni crouching behind the stumps in Chepauk or anywhere else was conspicuously absent. It was an unusual kind of silence for a man who rarely allowed cricket to go on without him.

But Dhoni has found his way back to the cricket field and it is fitting that it is the closest to home.

The former India captain was present at the JSCA International Stadium complex in Ranchi for the opening ceremony of the inaugural Jharkhand T20 League – dressed in a black polo shirt and shades and looking completely at ease in the stands, as always behind them. He watched the first match of the season alongside a crowd that still saves its loudest noise for the man who put Jharkhand cricket on the map.

Organized by the Jharkhand State Cricket Association in association with AV24 Sports Private Limited, the league will feature 27 matches over two weeks, including semi-finals and finals – all at the JSCA grounds. Six franchises – Ranchi Titans, Jamshedpur Steelers, Chota Nagpur Royals, Koylanchal Super Kings, Dhanbad Diamonds and Santhal Strikers – will compete for the trophy.

JSCA President Ajay Nath Shah Deo called it a major milestone for cricket in the state, which was built to inspire the next generation. Honorary Secretary Saurabh Tiwary, himself a former Indian international who came through Jharkhand cricket, reiterated that: the league, he said, would give young players a chance to perform alongside seasoned fighters. Honorary Joint Secretary Shahbaz Nadeem – another Jharkhand product to make it into the Indian dressing room – described it as two weeks of competitive cricket while opening doors for new talent.

Whether Dhoni’s presence in the stands was celebratory or something more personal, it’s hard to say. But for a league trying to show its seriousness to the state, watching the most famous cricketer Jharkhand has ever produced from the front row is not a bad way to start.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

10 Jun 2026 20:15 IST