As speculation continues around who will lead Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026, MS Dhoni has dropped a major hint by confirming Ruturaj Gaikwad’s return and outlining the team’s roadmap. While not directly addressing the captaincy, Dhoni’s praise for Gaikwad and remarks about CSK’s batting order suggest that the young opener could have a key leadership role in the upcoming season. He also shared his thoughts on the team’s recent struggles and admitted that the franchise is “slightly worried” about their batting going into the next IPL season. Speaking at a private event, Dhoni acknowledged the importance of having a stable batting lineup and confirmed that Ruturaj Gaikwad will return to the squad after missing the latter half of the previous season due to an elbow injury.
“We are slightly worried about our batting order. But I think our batting order is quite sorted out now. Rutu (Gaikwad) will be coming back. He got injured. But he will be coming back. So, we are quite sorted now,” Dhoni said, hinting at CSK’s plans to retain the young opener.
The former Indian captain also addressed the upcoming mini-auction scheduled for December, suggesting that the franchise will look to reinforce specific areas.
“I won’t say we (CSK) slacked off (in IPL 2025). But there were certain holes that we needed to plug in. A small auction is coming in December. Some loopholes are there, and we will try to plug those in,” he added.
Dhoni was candid about the team’s underwhelming performance over the past two seasons. He emphasized the importance of identifying weaknesses and taking corrective measures to move forward.
“Yes, the last couple of years have not been good for us. We have not been up to the mark. But what is important is for you to see the learnings. Yes, you had a bad season. But what went wrong? And that was the question for us last year also.
“We were like, okay, there are some shortcomings. But first we needed to exactly figure out what were the shortcomings and then look at solutions,” he said.
Dhoni concluded by expressing gratitude to the CSK fans and reflected on the team’s long-standing success.
“I feel more often than not we have been able to figure out what exactly went wrong. In sports, you know you can have a very good time and at the same time there will be periods when you won’t be performing well. In CSK, more often than not, we are on the higher side.
“So, we do talk about the processes. But at the same time we do want the result to come to our side. Last year it (result) wasn’t there. But looking ahead, we will try to sort out most of the things and we will hopefully be at our best,” he concluded.