With every passing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, the speculation surrounding the participation of former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni grows. While it was previously confirmed by CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan that the wicketkeeper-batter will feature in the upcoming IPL 2026 season, there was no clarity on his role.
Notably, MS Dhoni had been struggling with his knee for the past few seasons which restricted him to batting only at the death and also raises a question whether he can keep wickets for a full season.
Now, with the starting date for IPL 2026 confirmed for March 28, speculations are growing over MS Dhoni’s exact role – if he will play solely as a batter, or a wicketkeeper-batter or an impact player.
When quizzed about the same, CSK CEO hinted that MS will be available for all matches in IPL 2026.
Kasi was quoted as saying to the media, “He will play the matches, all matches. (On exact role) I can’t say. That’s a cricketing decision which will be taken by the cricketing staff, not by the administrative staff. They will decide whether he is going to play as a batter, or a wicketkeeper-batter or as an Impact Player.”
In case Dhoni doesn’t keep, CSK have multiple options to fill the role. They have traded in ex-Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Sanju Samson, who is the frontrunner to don the gloves in place of MS. The five-time champions have also roped in young Kartik Sharma, who is touted as a long-term replacement for Dhoni given his lower-order power-hitting abilities alongside wicketkeeping. They also have Urvil Patel in the ranks who can also keep wickets.
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The IPL 2026 schedule was released earlier today (March 11), but only for the first phase of the tournament. The schedule has been divided into two parts due to the ongoing elections.
CSK will begin their season with an away clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati. Check full CSK IPL 2026 schedule for the first phase and the subsequent match timings below.
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