IPL 2026: MS Dhoni to play all matches, says Viswanathan
What's the story
Kasi Viswanathan, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO, has confirmed that veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni will likely play all matches in the impending Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The league's 19th edition will be underway on March 28, with all franchises having started their training camps for the lucrative tournament. Dhoni, who was present at Wankhede Stadium during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup final, is expected to have one last dance.
Role uncertainty
What will be Dhoni's role?
"Dhoni will play all the matches, according to me," Viswanathan told IANS. Despite the confirmation of his participation, there is still some uncertainty about Dhoni's exact role in the upcoming tournament. This is mainly due to the inclusion of another keeper-batter, Sanju Samson, in the CSK squad. Viswanathan said that it would be a cricketing decision made by the cricketing staff and not the administrative staff.
Player performance
World Cup glory for Team India
Viswanathan expressed his pride in CSK players Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who played pivotal roles in India's T20 World Cup-winning campaign. He said, "We are very happy that India has won the World Cup, that too they've won it back-to-back. We are delighted because two of the CSK players, Sanju and Shivam Dube, have performed extremely well." He added their performances give a lot of confidence to the team for doing well in IPL 2026.
Information
CSK likely to play all matches in Chennai
Viswanathan confirmed that the Yellow Army will play all their home matches in Chennai. He said, "We are supposed to play only in Tamil Nadu only. So we are waiting for the schedule to be announced by the BCCI."
Past season
How CSK, Dhoni fared in IPL 2025
Last season, CSK finished 10th with eight points from 14 matches. Dhoni scored just 196 runs at a strike rate of 135.17 in those games, batting primarily in the lower middle order. Ruturaj Gaikwad, the regular skipper, was ruled out midway through the tournament with an injury. Dhoni stepped in as the stand-in skipper but couldn't change CSK's fortunes. It was also the final IPL season of Ravichandran Ashwin, who played for the Yellow Army.