IPL 2026: MS Dhoni to leave captaincy, might play as specialist keeper-batter

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni has confirmed that he won't be seen as captain of the franchise in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), but rather play as a specialist keeper-batter. Instead, Ruturaj Gaikwad will return as the captain for the upcoming season, he further clarified. Dhoni had stepped in as skipper during IPL 2025 after Gaikwad suffered an elbow fracture early in the tournament.

The 2025 season proved to be a difficult one for CSK, with the team struggling in Gaikwad’s absence. Speaking about the previous campaign, Dhoni acknowledged the challenges the team faced and stated that CSK would focus on strengthening their batting order ahead of the next season, which they seem to have accomplished already.

“We are slightly worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back [as captain]. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now. I won't say we (CSK) slacked off (in IPL 2025). But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in,” said Dhoni during a private function in Chennai as quoted by India Today.

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Gaikwad’s last competitive appearance came in CSK’s match against Punjab Kings at Mullanpur. He had earlier signed a deal with English county side Yorkshire but later withdrew, citing personal reasons. However, the promising opener is set for a return to action, having been named in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, scheduled to begin later this month.

Meanwhile, the 44-year-old veteran cricketer acknowledged that the five-time champions have performed well below expectations over the past couple of seasons of the cash-rich tournament. He emphasized the need for the team to identify and address their grey areas ahead of the 2026 campaign, in a bid to claim their record-breaking sixth championship.

“Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also. We were like, 'okay, there are some shortcomings'. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions,” Dhoni noted.

The Ranchi-born profusely thanked the loyal CSK fans for their unwavering support during challenging times and promised that the team would deliver a much-improved performance in the upcoming season.

“I feel more often than not we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. In sports, you know you can have a very good time and at the same time there will be periods when you won't be performing well. In CSK, more often than not, we are on the higher side. So, we do talk about the processes. But at the same time we do want the result to come to our side. Last year it (result) wasn't there. But looking ahead, we will try to sort out most of the things and we will hopefully be at our best,” he added.