“He is not retiring”- CSK CEO confirms MS Dhoni’s availability for IPL 2026

MS Dhoni captained CSK in IPL 2025 in the absence of Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan came up with the massive news for fans ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. He said that MS Dhoni isn’t retiring anytime soon and will be playing the upcoming edition of the league. 

In the last few years, there have been a lot of talks related to the retirement of MS Dhoni. Having retired from international cricket in 2020, the keeper-batter has made his presence felt in the league, giving his best for CSK.

Even in his 40s, Dhoni, despite battling knee injury, is playing and at the end of every season, there is a common question “Will MS Dhoni play next edition?” After he won the IPL 2023 as a captain, many expected him to call time on his career. 

No, he is not retiring for this IPL – CSK CEO on MS Dhoni

However, that wasn’t the case as he played two more seasons and will be there for the IPL 2026 as well. Speaking to grandson Noah in Provoke Lifestyle magazine, the CSK CEO said on MS Dhoni: “No, he is not retiring for this IPL.”

When asked about  Dhoni’s retirement plans, he responded with a smile, saying, “I’ll check with him and let you know.”

Notably, Dhoni captained CSK in later stages of IPL 2025. He was handed the responsibility after regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament after the first few games. However, Dhoni couldn’t do any good as the CSK struggled to get going in the tournament. 

They were the winners of the wooden spoon, finishing at the bottom of the points. Overall, MS Dhoni has been the joint-most successful captain in the league, taking his team to five title wins in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2023.

Recently Dhoni also provided an update about his future, saying that he has a lot of time to decide. In an interaction with Harsha Bhogle at an event, he said, 

“Well, it depends. Again, I would say the same thing — I have four or five months to decide. You know, there’s no hurry to decide what is to be done. I’m not saying I’m done, I’m not saying I’m coming back at the same time.”

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