Has IPL seen successive finals without MS Dhoni? Key stats
What's the story
The 2026 Indian Premier League will be underway on March 28. Ahead of the 19th edition, the age-old question returns: will it be MS Dhoni's last dance? Sanju Samson's inclusion has further sparked interest around this. In what could be his final season, Chennai Super Kings would hope to bid Dhoni a fitting farewell. Notably, the last two seasons have been forgettable for CSK.
2024
CSK miss playoff post 2023 high
The 2024 IPL season saw Dhoni wind the clock back by re-launching his long-hair era. However, the results deserted CSK despite a strong performance. They finished fifth and missed the playoffs by a whisker. In a must-win encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru that went down to the wire, CSK lost while chasing 219. The Yellow Army hoped for a strong comeback in 2025.
Information
CSK finish last in 2025
CSK's campaign went further downhill in IPL 2025. With several holes in the batting line-up, the Super Kings finished last. CSK lost five of their first six matches before losing skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad to injury. Although Dhoni stood in, it didn't change CSK's fortunes.
Honors
Five titles, five-time runners-up
CSK's once again missing the playoffs marked a rare feat. The league never had consecutive IPL finals since its inception until the 2025 season without Dhoni. Dhoni, one of the most successful white-ball skippers, led CSK to five IPL titles (2010-11, 2018, 2021, and 2023). Under him, the Yellow Army finished as the runners-up in 2008, 2012-13, 2015, and 2019.
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Dhoni's stint with RPS
When CSK were banned for two years, Dhoni led Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in 2016 and played under Steve Smith a year later at the franchise. Even in 2017, RPS reached the final and lost to Mumbai Indians.