IPL 2026: MS Dhoni set to feature for CSK in upcoming season, unlikely to play all matches - Report

IPL 2026: MS Dhoni set to feature for CSK in upcoming season, unlikely to play all matches - Report

IPL 2026: MS Dhoni set to feature for CSK in upcoming season, unlikely to play all matches - Report Photograph: (AFP)

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MS Dhoni, who turns 45 in July, remains one of the few ever-present players in the IPL and is set to feature in the upcoming season. If he takes the field in any of the matches, it will be Dhoni’s 19th consecutive season in the IPL. 

Legendary India cricketer and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star MS Dhoni is all set to be available for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season. In a media report circulating on Sunday (Feb 22), Dhoni is all set to be available for the upcoming season which starts on Mar 26. However, the report also adds that Dhoni may not be available for the entire season, with Sanju Samson joining the squad after he completed his trade to the five-time champions.

Dhoni unlikely to play in entire season

“We can confirm that he is coming to Chennai and has confirmed his availability for the season,” a senior CSK source told PTI on condition of anonymity.

“Whether he will play all the games or not is something we cannot say at the moment,” the source added.

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Dhoni, who turns 45 in July, remains one of the few ever-present players in the IPL and is set to feature in the upcoming season. If he takes the field in any of the matches, it will be Dhoni’s 19th consecutive season in the IPL. He remains the most decorated captain in the history of the competition, having won five titles with CSK. Only Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma, with six, have won more titles than Dhoni in the tournament’s history.

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Samson set to take long-term role

It is highly anticipated that Sanju Samson will take the wicketkeeper role on a permanent basis once Dhoni announces his retirement. Samson was traded from the Rajasthan Royals, with Ravindra Jadeja going the other way. Samson remains a long-term option for the franchise with Dhoni all but certain to drop curtains on his IPL career in the coming campaign.

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Parth Seth is a research fellow at India Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, where he studies the themes of development, foreign policy, and multilateralism, particularly in ...Read More