MS Dhoni’s absence from IPL 2026 has once again sparked talks on whether the Chennai Super Kings legend has already played his last game for the franchise. But former Australia captain Michael Clarke believes fans should be very careful before wishing for Dhoni’s retirement.
Dhoni has so far missed the entire IPL 2026 season due to a recurring calf strain, while CSK have slowly regained pace in the XI without him. In an interview on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, Clarke said that Dhoni’s value to CSK goes far beyond just cricket and insisted that no one should rush the legendary wicketkeeper into retirement.
“MS Dhoni is CSK. If you go to watch a CSK match, everyone is wearing the yellow jersey No. 7. In terms of sponsors coming to the team, every sponsor would want MS Dhoni to be a part of this team. He is so important in India and CSK,” Clarke said.
“However, age should not matter. No one will convince me that there is a better wicketkeeper than MS Dhoni. He is still the best wicketkeeper in T20. He is also one of a kind. People need to be careful when they wish him to retire.”
Clarke also admitted that once Dhoni is completely away from cricket, fans might hardly see him in the sport.
“When he retires, we probably won’t see him involved in cricket. He certainly won’t comment on it. I doubt he will stay as a mentor at CSK. I can’t imagine him taking up coaching,” added Clarke.
“So I would urge people not to wish him out early and try to keep him in the sport.”
The comments come at an interesting time for CSK, who suddenly look much more balanced after back-to-back wins despite Dhoni’s continued absence from the playing XI.
WHY MS DHONI IS NOT PLAYING IN IPL 2026?
Dhoni did not play a single match in IPL 2026 due to a calf injury early in the season.
The 39-year-old was initially expected to return midway through the campaign and has even resumed light training. But CSK head coach Stephen Fleming later revealed that Dhoni suffered another setback during training, forcing the franchise to remain cautious.
Fleming explained after CSK’s clash with Gujarat Titans on 26 April that any serious aggravation of the calf strain could potentially end Dhoni’s season altogether.
This cautious approach also coincided with Chennai finally finding their balance.
Sanju Samson has made a massive impact behind the stumps and with the bat, scoring 315 runs in nine matches, including two hundreds in his debut CSK season.
The bowling attack has also looked sharper in the last few matches, making it increasingly difficult for Chennai to suddenly change the settled combination.
WILL MS DHONI LEAVE AFTER IPL 2026?
That remains the biggest question surrounding CSK right now.
Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin recently suggested that Dhoni may return only for the farewell if Chennai are knocked out of playoff contention later this season.
However, CSK are very much alive in the playoffs after their recent win over Delhi Capitals took them to 10 points from 10 matches.
Their next two games are against bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants, giving Chennai a big opportunity to develop further ahead of the final stretch of the season.
And that’s what makes the Dhoni conversation even trickier.
If CSK keep winning without changing the current set-up, there may be no cricketing reason to force him back into the XI unless the franchise decides to give him one last appearance in yellow.
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Issued by:
Debodinna Chakraborty
Published on:
07 May 2026 16:09 IST
