MS Dhoni should RETIRE from IPL if…, star India cricketer makes HUGE statement on CSK legend ahead of 2026 season

Former India skipper MS Dhoni will be playing in his 19th season of the Indian Premier League at the age of 44 with IPL 2026 beginning on Saturday.

IPL 2026: Former India captain and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni is getting ready to play in his 19th season in the Indian Premier League at the age of 44. Fans of MS Dhoni are wondering how long can the former Chennai Super Kings captain continue in the T20 league, six years after announcing his international retirement.

Former India batter Aakash Chopra believes that if Dhoni has to play as an ‘Impact Player’ in IPL 2026 season then he should consider retiring from the game. Speaking on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’, Chopra believes Dhoni will eventually handover his gloves to Sanju Samson, who has joined CSK this season.

“You don’t run the team from the dugout, it’s not football. In cricket, you need to be on the field, and MS Dhoni’s biggest asset is his ability to read the game better than anybody else. That clarity and conviction are what make him who he is. In any case, I feel this could be his last season. He has the heir apparent now.

“Sanju Samson will eventually don the gloves, it could even happen at some stage during this season. Again, conditions apply in terms of MS Dhoni’s fitness and his knee. But he cannot be the Impact Player. If he is playing as an Impact Player, I think it’s time for him to hang up his boots,” Chopra told JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’ program.

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Dhoni has scored 5439 runs in 278 matches in his IPL career with 24 fifties and a strike-rate of 137.45. He also led Chennai Super Kings to record five IPL titles.

Former India opener Chopra believes that Dhoni is allowing new CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to ‘grow and prosper’. “There’s a small analogy. If you want your baby to start walking, you need to hold their hand and teach them. But if you want them to run, you need to let go. If you keep holding on, they will never learn to run. From Dhoni’s point of view, if somebody has been anointed as the next Captain, then he has to take a backseat, and I think he already has.

“If you look at the auction and the way the team has been built, it is not the team MS Dhoni would have built if it were left entirely to him. Would he go with these many youngsters in one go? This is Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team. MS Dhoni will observe things and not say much. He might offer advice here and there, but that’s where it stops. He did that well with Virat Kohli at the international level as well, allowing them to grow and prosper. And if they seek help, he is always there,” Chopra told JioStar.

MS DHONI MEETS AR REHMAN.
– The meet-up of the legends!
pic.twitter.com/yeneFP9JAT
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 22, 2026

MS Dhoni is one of the most brilliant minds: Faf du Plessis

Former South Africa captain and Dhoni’s CSK teammate Faf du Plessis believes the former India captain should always be on the field because of his ‘cricketing brain’.

“MS Dhoni is the best tactician and one of the most successful cricketers in the game when it comes to leadership. But I don’t think CSK saw him playing as many seasons as he eventually did. So, they had to look at who was going to be the next Captain. Ruturaj was the next guy, and I thought, coming into his first season, he did a great job. It’s just unfortunate that he got injured last season, where they missed him as a batter and as a Captain.

“In terms of tactics, MS is one of the most brilliant minds. So, I’ll always have him on the field because you need his cricketing brain. The way he sees and reads the game, and the way you see him manoeuvre fields, that’s his real superpower. Yes, we’ve loved watching him bat. But for me, it’s more about what he brings on the field, and that’s something CSK have to use,” Du Plessis told JioStar.

On whether MS Dhoni should be promoted up the order if he bats, Du Plessis said, “There are a handful of players in the world who have that clarity and backing to do it in the 19th and 20th overs. The mere mortals out there think there is more pressure in the 19th and 20th overs than in the 16th. But his clarity in those last 18 balls of the match, when he can really zone in on what is required, is second to none. If you send him in earlier and he gets out, you lose that at the back end. And there are enough players in CSK’s middle order who can do more damage in those phases, players like Brevis and Dube, who are exceptional spin-hitters. That is their strength, so back them to do that. MS’s strength has always been in overs 17 to 20, facing the seamers.”

Chennai Super Kings will begin their campaign in the IPL 2026 season with a clash against Rajasthan Royals at ACA Stadium in Guwahati on March 30.

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The Times Of Bengal