Follow UsWith a rumoured trade deal for the 31-year-old Sanju Samson on the cards, a lot of chatter suggests that 44-year-old MS Dhoni’s time at Chennai Super Kings (CSK) might just be coming to an end. CSK and Dhoni have been synonymous with each other since the inception of IPL, and the 44-year-old still holds the crowd pull wherever he goes around the country.
But with his deteriorating fitness and troubled form, there is a tiny prospect that CSK’s iconic player could now have a reduced role at the franchise, possibly as an impact player. However, former CSK batter Subramaniam Badrinath insisted that Dhoni will never feature as an impact player, and rather will be a constant in the playing XI.
“MS Dhoni definitely won’t play as an impact player. I don’t think MS Dhoni will play as an impact player. If he plays, he will feature as a keeper. The main reason of Dhoni playing is he needs to be out there at the Chepauk. As an impact player, he might come out to bat only in the final two overs,” Badrinath told Star Sports.
Last year, Dhoni’s struggle at the crease was visible when he walked out much earlier than in previous seasons, with the right-hander only managing 196 runs at a strike rate of 135.17. Will that continue this year as well?
“We don’t know if he comes out to bat in that case. I don’t think that’s going to happen, that’s my observation, knowing CSK and Dhoni. He might not even play the full season but he will be there as a wicketkeeper, not sure as captain. But he will definitely be as a keeper on the field. He said he will be on the field to play. It will not happen that Dhoni is off the field and leave someone like Sanju Samson to keep wickets. He will take this decision and speak to Sanju Samson,” he added.
Dhoni’s value addition on the pitch seems far higher than off the field, as the 44-year-old with all of his experience could help the budding skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad with bowling and field changes from behind the sticks.
“That’s my understanding, I don’t think MS Dhoni is going to be an impact player at all. Either he is going to play or call it, ‘I’m done’. Look at these visuals, this is MS Dhoni, this is the value he carries, those small adjustments, some conversation with the bowlers. Even though Ruturaj Gaikwad is the captain, he still has some control over the proceedings. That’s where his value is,” he added.
In all likelihood, IPL 2026 is set to draw curtains on Dhoni’s glorious franchise cricket career, where he’s won a total of seven titles, including five IPL silverwares.