MS Dhoni Scam? Kris Srikkanth accuses CSK of cheating fans in IPL 2026

Former India captain and head selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has started a storm in the Chennai Super Kings hierarchy, accusing the franchise, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and coach Stephen Fleming of actively “deceiving” fans about MS Dhoni’s fitness during the IPL campaign.

Reacting to the viral discourse on social media regarding the “MS Dhoni scam” – a term coined by disgruntled fans on X – Srikkanth called on the management to use calculated ambiguities and training videos to weaponize fans’ nostalgia despite knowing that the veteran wicketkeeper would not play a single match the entire season.

The issue came to light when former IPL cricketer Aniruddha Srikkanth drew backlash from online fans on his show and asked his father to weigh in on the situation. The former selector did not mince his words and demanded that the franchise stop the misdirection.

“Before the start of the season, they said he had a leg injury and they were hoping to have him soon,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube show a day after CSK suffered an 89-run defeat by Gujarat Titans to crash out of the play-off race.

“Fleming also sang the same song, Ruturaj Gaikwad also sang the same, ‘Maybe he is ready for the next game’. And then before the game, CSK will have a video of Dhoni training to show the fans that he is fit and could play.”

For Srikkanth, the shifting medical stories from CSK decision-makers crossed the line from tactical secrecy to public fraud. Dhoni initially sat out with a pre-season calf injury that was supposed to keep him out for just a fortnight, before secondary hamstring strain occurred. Later reports suggested he was fit but sat out to maintain squad combinations.

Still, Dhoni did not travel with the team for away matches. In Chepauk, he only appeared at the last home game to take part in the post-match lap of honor. Nevertheless, the management never explicitly excluded him.

Ironically, after CSK’s last game, Ruturaj said“You’ll find out next year,” when broadcaster Graeme Swann asked him a question about Dhoni.

“Then they said, ‘no, no. He is still recovering from the injury’. And then they said he injured his thigh,” Srikkanth said.

“Stop the deception. You should make it clear. If he doesn’t play the whole season, it’s only fair. The fans would be mentally prepared if you made it clear.”

NO ONE MISSES DHONI: SRIKKANTH

Srikkanth took direct aim at Gaikwad, Fleming and batting coach Michael Hussey for holding a fake carrot in front of an unsuspecting audience on a match-by-match basis.

“If you ask them game-by-game, Ruturaj will say ‘the big man will be available for the next game’. He kept saying that. There, the management, the captain and Stephen Fleming should have said flatly, ‘He’s not playing this season, he’s not fully fit’. The fans would agree and move on.”

Crucially, the 1983 World Cup hero pointed out that the sport had progressed naturally and the Yellow Army was mature enough to handle the realities of the post-Dhoni era if the management simply chose transparency over public relations tactics.

“If you look at it honestly, nobody misses Dhoni. Nobody wants Dhoni in the matches. I think people ask why he is not in the dressing room, but how many people ask that he is not playing? The Dhoni era is over. Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers the IPL has produced and one of the greatest captains. You should have made it clear. Why did you keep lying.”

CSK failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year. The Super Kings are expected to finish in the bottom four having secured just 12 points from 14 matches.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

22 May 2026 14:16 IST

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