MS Dhoni will play the entire 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season and the coaching staff will accept his role, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan said on Wednesday (March 11). Dhoni began training for the new season in Chennai earlier this month, with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the charge.
Speculations about MS Dhoni’s future were rife after CSK traded Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals. Quite a few saw it as a move by MS Dhoni, who allowed himself to sit out the entire season and instead take up a limited role with the five-time champions.
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However, Dhoni arrived in Chennai in the first week of March and he trained hard with the rest of his teammates. At 44, Dhoni looked fit and ready for the hard grind of a two-month season. Notably, Dhoni started preparing for the upcoming season as early as last month with light sessions in Ranchi.
“He will play matches, all matches,” Kasi Viswanathan told reporters in Chennai.
Asked if the Super Kings will use MS Dhoni as an Impact Player, he added: “I can’t say. That’s a cricketing decision that will be made by the cricket staff, not the administrative staff. They will decide whether he will play as a batsman, a wicketkeeper-batsman or as an Impact Player.”
Dhoni has played the entirety of the last two seasons despite constant speculation over his future and a nagging knee injury he sustained during the campaigns. In fact, in IPL 2025, Dhoni took over the captaincy midway through the tournament following Ruturaj Gaikwad’s injury.
For the first time since the inception of the IPL, The Super Kings finished with the wooden spoon. The five-time champions will be keen to make a strong comeback in the coming season.
Kasi Viswanathan said he is happy with how training has progressed so far at their High Performance Centre, which is in Navalur on Old Mahabalipuram Road.
He also expressed delight over India defending the World T20 title and said the stellar performances of Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube will only boost the confidence of the Super Kings. While Samson won the Player of the Match award with his heroic knocks in the business end of the tournament, Dube chipped in with crucial contributions that added pace to the Indian innings.
“I am very happy that India has won back-to-back World Cups. We are also delighted because two of our CSK players – Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube have performed extremely well. It gives us a lot of confidence that the team is doing well for CSK as well.”
ALL MATCHES IN CHENNAI?
Meanwhile, Kasi Viswanathan also confirmed that CSK will play all their matches in Chennai and expressed confidence in the logistics even as Tamil Nadu enters the assembly elections.
“We are to play only in Tamil Nadu. We are waiting for the schedule to be announced by the BCCI,” he said.
Despite Samson’s arrival, CSK will head into the season with Ruturaj at the helm. Dhoni will continue to be one of the most influential figures in the team.
CSK FULL SQUAD FOR IPL 2026
RETENTION OF PLAYERS: MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson (traded from RR), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brewis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Anulsh Gurjamie, Sbojpneh Over
AUCTION BUY: Akeal Hosein (Rs 2 crore), Prashant Veer (Rs 14.20 crore), Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.20 crore), Matthew Short (Rs 1.5 crore), Aman Khan (Rs 40 crore), Sarfaraz Khan (Rs 75 crore), Matt Henry (Rs 5 crore), Zak Foulkes (Rs 75 crore)
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Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
11 March 2026 16:01 IST
