It looks like MS Dhoni’s FINAL season, says star India cricketer ahead of IPL 2026

Former Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is 44 years of age now and could be playing in his final season in the IPL 2026.

IPL 2026: Over the last 18 seasons of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings team have become synonymous with their former skipper MS Dhoni. But the former India captain is 44 years of age now and possible the IPL 2026 season will be his final one in the T20 league.

The question on every CSK fan’s mind is who will take over the baton of the team from Dhoni going forward. Former India and CSK all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that CSK are hoping to build the team around Sanju Samson, who has joined the team ahead of IPL 2026. Samson was traded from Rajasthan Royals to CSK for a record price of Rs 18 crore.

“It looks like this will be MS Dhoni’s last season. The signs are there because, if you look at the Chennai setup, they have brought in a wicketkeeper-batsman who can play for the next few years. You can build your team around him and he can be the face of the franchise, that is Sanju Samson. He has also upgraded himself in terms of form in international cricket. He has just won a World Cup and has been batting fantastically well.

“That is one player MS Dhoni would want to pass the baton to, someone who has the caliber to do all that and whom even the fans can identify and connect with. With Sanju’s arrival, I feel Dhoni can now say that maybe it is time for him to pass on that baton. But should this have happened earlier? Because I feel that a player like MS Dhoni cannot be just a two-over player. You do not build your legacy like that. So yes, I think the time is right,” Irfan Pathan said on JioStar’s ‘IPL Today Live’.

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Chennai Super Kings will open their campaign in the IPL 2026 season with a clash against Rajasthan Royals at the ACA Stadium in Guwahati on April 30. Pathan criticized Dhoni for not being able to finish the matches in the last couple of seasons for CSK after his knee injury.

“When CSK won their last trophy in Ahmedabad, there were already talks that he was coming too low down the order, even before those discussions gained momentum. But as he grew older, he also had the knee problem. So, in his mind, he was clear about his role, that he would come and bat in the last two overs and finish the game. But what happened? He was not able to finish those games. A few years ago, when Sandeep Sharma was bowling to him in the final over, MS Dhoni made that match interesting but could not finish it.

“We had not seen that from MS Dhoni before. That is happening more frequently now. So, if you are playing, you have to take more responsibility for your side and bat for at least four or five overs. It will be beneficial for the team,” Pathan told JioStar.

Focus in IPL 2026 will be on Virat Kohli: Aakash Chopra

Former India opener Aakash Chopra believes that between Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Dhoni, the focus will be firmly on Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter.

“The focus will be on Virat Kohli again because the guy is so fit. Yes, there are gaps between series and he felt the pinch of those gaps in Australia, but once he started scoring runs, he found a way to be super consistent for months. So, the kind of fitness that he has achieved over a period of time makes him the best suited, also because he is an opener. So, he has more time to work himself into form. The same is true for Rohit Sharma as well, but between the two of them, I still feel Virat Kohli has it a little easier just because of himself.

“That is the price he has to pay for the kind of fitness and legacy he has built. It is a little difficult for Dhoni as well because he is on the wrong side of 40. For him, to not play anything for 10 months, turn up for the IPL and switch on, and also play at a number where he gets only 10-12 balls, is the toughest thing to do. Then there are also 20 overs of keeping, so his job is perhaps the toughest,” Aakash Chopra told JioStar.

Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be seen in action in the IPL 2026 opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

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The Times Of Bengal