IPL 2026: Will Mahendra Singh Dhoni Play in Next IPL Season? Here’s What Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad Revealed
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has responded to a question regarding whether Mahendra Singh Dhoni will play in the next season of the IPL.
This marks the first time that Dhoni has not played a single league match for CSK in an entire IPL season.
On Thursday, CSK played their final league match of the season. This match was against the Gujarat Titans, a game that the Shubman Gill-led team Gujarat Titans won by a massive margin of 89 runs.
Following the match, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked about the possibility of Dhoni playing in the upcoming season.
To this, he replied, "You will find out the answer to that only next year. Even I will only find out next year. We certainly felt his absence a great deal."
He added, "He is the kind of player who instills fear in the opposition—especially during the final overs. Simply by staying at the crease, he can single-handedly alter the course of a match and shift its momentum. That is why we felt his absence quite acutely this season."
"However, nothing can be said regarding the next season at this moment."