5 years on since his worldwide retirement, MS Dhoni continues to maintain his ardent followers guessing. Confronting the query of calling time on taking part in for the Chennai Tremendous Kings within the Indian Premier League, the ageing talisman has now performed six seasons since his final look for India in 2019. Gearing up for the nineteenth IPL season with CSK, the 44-year-old Dhoni resumed coaching in Ranchi on Saturday, two months forward of the proposed begin of the event.
With a number of high-profile acquisitions, together with India wicket-keeper Sanju Samson, many imagine that Dhoni might transfer to a non-playing capability in the course of the IPL 2026 season. Nonetheless, his former teammate, R Ashwin, thinks in any other case.
Ashwin, who retired from IPL cricket in August 2025 after spending the earlier season with CSK, made a daring declare that Dhoni might don a contemporary position with the bat, shifting to use circumstances within the batting Powerplay for the five-time champions.
MSD at No. 3?
“Dhoni appears to be like set to play as he has already began practising. He’s wanting match. Some mentioned he could not play within the 11, or this is likely to be his final season. But it surely appears to be like like he received motivated seeing Imran Tahir. him, it doesn’t seem like he’ll bat at No.9. He appears to be like like he’ll come out to bat at No.3 within the Powerplay and be the enforcer, the best way he has begun observe,” Ashwin mentioned on his YouTube channel.
Whereas CSK completed on the backside of the factors desk final season, Dhoni remained removed from his finest too, scoring solely 196 runs at 135.17 in 14 video games.
Ashwin additionally raved in regards to the high quality of gamers CSK have assembled of their bid for a robust reset this yr.
“They’ve scouted very nicely and boast a powerhouse of a batting lineup. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Karthik Sharma, and Prashant Veer is a batting lineup, barring the inexperience within the final two, you ask how are groups going to cease this batting lineup? Even a 200 to 200 turns into actually tough for groups to cease CSK to,” added Ashwin.
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“Even Jamie Overton goes nice weapons. Solely the mix CSK decides to go along with is to be seen. Ayush Mhatre, no matter what occurs within the U-19 World Cup, will ship within the IPL. CSK’s batting is a tricky one to cease. In the event that they get the mix and momentum proper, that may be a batting lineup that’s actually going to make work very tough for bowlers across the event.”