Former Chennai Super Kings batter Robin Uthappa has said that MS Dhoni is going to announce retirement after IPL 2026, as there is no possibility of him playing until 2027. CSK changed their strategy in the auction by investing in uncapped players rather than experienced cricketers. It suggests Dhoni is looking forward to mentoring the players.
Dewald Brevis (22), Ayush Mhatre (18) and Urvil Patel (27) were magnificent for the franchise last season. The five-time champions bought 19-year-old Prashant Veer for INR 14.2 crore. Chennai also added 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma to the squad for INR 14.2 crore. They are the joint-most expensive uncapped Indian cricketers in the history of the league.
Dhoni, who is 44, was retained ahead of the mega auction last year. He is the wicket-keeper batter and bats in the lower-middle order. He led CSK midway through the last edition after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an injury.
With Sanju Samson joining the Chennai Super Kings, Uthappa feels Dhoni’s role change is imminent.
“The writing is on the wall, and this is going to be MS Dhoni’s last season. No more speculation about whether he is going to be around for another year or not. He will be truly done this year,” Uthappa told JioHotstar on Tuesday.
“CSK have invested in youth, and they have picked a different team since last year. They want to develop new players and keep them,” he added.
Chennai, who traded all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ahead of the auction, also bought Rahul Chahar and Srafaraz Khan.
“MS Dhoni’s captaincy played a key role in developing Ravindra Jadeja and Ruturaj Gaikwad. That’s the direction you want to follow,” he mentioned.
Uthappa added that Dhoni will continue to be a part of the franchise. “He will mentor the side when he stops playing. He will operate as a mentor-cum-player in IPL 2026. He is already clear, and that’s why Chennai have signed youngsters.”
CSK spent INR 41 crore on nine players, with INR 28.40 crore on just two cricketers.