 "Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni walks off the ground following his team's eight-wicket defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. Image: PTI")
Suresh Raina has revealed that MS Dhoni will play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) again next year. There were a lot of questions about Dhoni’s future after IPL 2025 , with many people thinking he might retire. However, Raina has confirmed that his former teammate Dhoni will definitely play in the next edition of the IPL.
Raina’s big statement on Dhoni
In a chat with sports presenter Jatin Sapru on his YouTube channel, Raina said that Dhoni is definitely going to play in IPL 2026. “I hope that next season, they (CSK) come with better planning. And Dhoni is going to play for one more season, for sure,” Raina said during the conversation.
Dhoni has been struggling with a knee injury for some time, but he still played a few important knocks for CSK this season. His fitness and form had fans worried, but now it looks like he is not ready to say goodbye just yet.
Dhoni, who has led CSK to five IPL titles, is one of the most loved cricketers in India. Every season, fans fill up the stadiums just to get a glimpse of him, and his return for IPL 2026 is sure to make them even more excited.
CSK’s worst IPL campaign ever?
Meanwhile, CSK are currently struggling at the bottom of the IPL 2025 points table and their campaign is all but over. Dhoni, who took over from Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain mid-season after the latter got ruled out due to an injury, failed to inspire a comeback for his team.
CSK have lost seven of their first nine matches thus far and have the worst Net Run Rate (NRR) among all teams. In their most recent game, CSK lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad for the first time ever at Chepauk.
After the loss against SRH, CSK head coach Stephen Fleming talked about the team’s struggles and said their problems were because of the auction strategy they used last year.
“It is hard to say we got it completely right with the performances that we have had. So we have been looking over that in detail just around our style of play. Also looking at how the game is evolving,” Fleming said.
“And it is not easy. And that is why we are proud of our record today. We have been able to be consistent for so long and it doesn’t take much for it to go another way. Other teams have got better and that is the point of the auction. But we just haven’t been able to get it right,” he added.