Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni It is confirmed that he will not be seen as the captain of the franchise in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but plays as a specialist keeper-botter. Instead, Ruturaj Gikwad will return as captain for the upcoming season, he further clarified. Dhoni stepped as captain during IPL 2025 after facing an early elbow fracture in the tournament.
The 2025 season proved to be a difficult for CSK, in which the team was struggling in the absence of Gaekwad. Speaking of the previous campaign, Dhoni faced the team with the challenges and said that CSK focused on strengthening its batting order before the next season, which they had already completed.
“We are a little worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order has been solved a lot now. Rutu (Gaikwad) is coming back. [as captain]He was injured. But he will come back. Therefore, we are now solving a lot. I would not say that we (CSK) dull (in IPL 2025). But there were some holes that we needed to plug. A small auction is coming in December. There are some flaws, and we will try to plug those people, ”Dhoni said during a private ceremony in Chennai, as is quoted by India today.
Our best next season is expected to be: Dhoni
Gaikwad's final competitive appearance came in CSK's match Punjab kings In Mulanpur. He had earlier signed a deal with the English County Side Yorkshire, but later withdrew citing personal reasons. However, the promising opener has been prescribed to return to action, which is named West Zone Squad for upcoming Dilip TrophyIt is scheduled to start at the end of this month.
Meanwhile, the 44-year-old experienced cricketer admitted that the five-time champion has performed less than expected in the last few sessions of the Cash-Rich tournament. He emphasized the need to identify and address his gray areas before the 2026 campaign, to claim his record-breaking sixth championship in a bid.
“Yes, the last few years have not been good for us. We are not even a mark. But what is important for you to see learning. Yes, you had a bad season. But what happened wrong? And last year it was also a question for us. We loved, 'Okay, something is lacking'.
Born in Ranchi thanked loyalty Chennai Super Kings Fans promised that the team would perform much better in the upcoming season for his unwavering support during the challenging time.
“I think we are not able to find out more often what has really gone wrong. In sports, you know that you may have a great time as well as the period when you will not perform well. In CSK, in CSK, more often, we are not on the high side. So we talk about the procedures. Hopefully our best will be,” he said.
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