Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Chief Executive Officer Kasi Viswanathan has expressed hope that MS Dhoni will return for IPL 2027, even though the 45-year-old did not play a single match this year because of multiple injury concerns. Asked about Dhoni’s status ahead of the upcoming auction, Viswanathan spoke to local media in Chennai, saying the franchise leaves the decision entirely to the former India Captain. He said: “It’s a question you need to ask him. I also have to ask him. He informs us of his decision when he arrives in Chennai. I have a feeling that the chances of him continuing to play for CSK are there. He is still a player, you know.”
Why Dhoni’s future matters to CSK
Few players are as closely tied to a franchise as Dhoni is to CSK, where he has been at the heart of the team’s success for nearly two decades. Across 278 IPL matches for CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant, he has scored 5,439 runs at an average of 38.3 and a strike rate of 137.45, with a highest score of 84 and 24 fifties. He has also hit 264 sixes and 375 fours, taken 158 catches and effected 47 stumpings. For CSK, he has played 248 matches and scored 4,865 runs, and he led the side to five IPL titles.
IPL 2026 was widely expected to be his farewell campaign. Dhoni stayed with the squad for most of the tournament, taking part in training sessions and supporting from the dugout while CSK worked through a difficult transition. The team finished eighth in the 10-team standings and missed the playoffs.
What was said during the season
Dhoni’s non-playing role drew criticism towards the end of the campaign. Following CSK’s final home game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, then Head Coach Stephen Fleming addressed it at the post-match press conference. Fleming said: “MS has been around a lot this year, which has been really important for the team, for a lot of the young players, and for continuity.” He added: “So, he’s been a big part of it. He hasn’t played, but he’s still had a big influence on the team.”
In May, after Dhoni took part in CSK’s traditional lap of honour at Chepauk, former CSK batter Suresh Raina recalled a conversation with him. Raina told Star Sports during the post-match show: “I told him you have given IPL 2026 a missed call. It won’t count. You have to come back next year.”
Raina continued: “He said, ‘Nahi yaar, body thoda waisa hai’ (No man, the body is a bit like that). I said we are not believing anything. You have to play next year.”
Raina added: “It’s his personal call. I think he is positive. The team is also gelling well again. Fans also want him to come. He said, ‘Let me see.’ If he says let me see, there’s a chance he will work hard, and play again.”
Planning for life beyond Dhoni
CSK have known for some time that they must prepare for a future without him, and they brought in Sanju Samson from Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2026. Samson played all 14 matches and scored 477 runs in his first season with the franchise, though that could not prevent a difficult campaign. Dhoni’s decision will shape how CSK approach the auction and assess their squad for next season.
