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Will he? Won’t he? The next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is still seven months away, but the one question lingering on everyone’s minds is whether MS Dhoni will turn up one more season for his franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK)? The long-time talisman has been battling knee pain season after season, but still, he has kept the five-time champions at the top of his priority list. CSK finished at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2025. Hence, it remains to be seen whether Dhoni turns up one more season as a player.
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The 2011 World Cup-winning captain made an appearance during an event recently, and it was there that he spoke about his future plans, saying there is still a lot of time left for him to decide whether he will play the IPL 2026 edition or not.
“I don’t know whether I’ll play or not. I have time to decide. I have some time until December, so I’ll take another couple of months, and then finally, I can make my decision,” said Dhoni while interacting with the host.
Also Read: Ravichandran Ashwin tells CSK he wants to quit the IPL franchise; decision final after MS Dhoni, Gaikwad meet
It was then that a fan jumped in, shouting, “You have to play, sir.”
It was then that Dhoni responded in his own witty style, saying, “Arre, ghutne me jo dard hota hai uska take care kaun karega (The pain I have in my knees, who will take care of that)?”
Right after the IPL 2023 final, which CSK won by beating the Gujarat Titans, Dhoni underwent knee surgery in Mumbai. Throughout the season, the wicketkeeper-batter had been managing a knee injury. He ensured the season got over before undergoing surgery to allow for a longer rehabilitation period before the start of the IPL 2024 edition.
In the last two editions of the IPL, Dhoni has been batting lower down the order, and the main reason has been his decreasing speed between the wickets. It has been attributed to the knee surgery he underwent.
Dhoni steps in as captain
In the IPL 2025 season, Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out midway through the tournament due to a hairline fracture in his elbow. Hence, MS Dhoni stepped in as the stand-in skipper.
However, he was unable to change the fortunes, as the five-time champions finished at the bottom of the table. Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been meeting with the CSK officials in Chennai recently to discuss the strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 season.
It is being reported that Ravichandran Ashwin has informed the franchise about his intention to part ways and find a new home. Ashwin had a poor IPL 2025 season, picking up just seven wickets in nine matches.
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