MS Dhoni will need to play a greater role in IPL 2026.
As expected, the legendary MS Dhoni has been leaving no stone unturned in his preparations for IPL 2026. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will expect nothing less than some big shows from the veteran batter, who might well be playing his final season.
The Indian Express reported that Dhoni trained in an empty ground on Wednesday (March 18), where his focus was on getting the match groove. He started by facing spinners, whom the former CSK captain powered from his crease while also setting up imaginary fields in between by pointing, adjusting, and moving imaginary fielders in his head.
Dhoni definitely understands that teams have been smartly employing spinners against him, which can be tricky to hit given his reduced mobility. He faced only 19.17% of spin balls in 2024, but it rose to 40% last season, and the figures are expected to rise further in IPL 2026.
Against pacers, MS Dhoni faced various lengths to test his reach – slicing wider deliveries over covers and hitting hard lengths with all his brute power. The focus was not simply hitting down the ground; he manoeuvered the fields and found angles throughout his stay.
MS Dhoni will bat in the lower order, where his role will be to whack from the first ball and provide impetus to the innings in the death overs. However, he might need to do heavy lifting this time since CSK don’t have Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to partner with him.
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They have two young talents, Karthik Sharma and Prashant Veer, for the toughest T20 role, and the two might need some game time to succeed in it. Both have played domestic cricket so far, but in the IPL, they will face bowling attacks with greater depth and quality.
Jamie Overton also has a solid power game, but his issues against fast spin are well-documented. Hence, MS Dhoni needs to do the heavy lifting with the willow, even if that requires tackling spin with a more proactive approach.
Last year, CSK batters had the lowest strike rate (156.39) and balls-per-boundary ratio (5.01) in the final four overs with the willow. With depleted experience and resources in the squad, Dhoni needs to get back to his vintage best if the five-time champions are to overcome this issue in IPL 2026.
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