The moment that hundreds of thousands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have dreaded for half a decade is now surely upon them. The 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) will almost certainly be MS Dhoni’s last in the canary-yellow shirt. The eye-catching trade that has seen a CSK legend, Ravindra Jadeja, leave and be replaced at Chepauk by Sanju Samson is the surest sign of that.
In more ways than one, Dhoni has been synonymous with both the IPL and CSK since the tournament’s inception in 2008. He has made more appearances in the competition than anyone else, with 248 of those 278 matches being played in Chennai colours. The Whistle-podu diehards will remind you that he also played 24 matches in the now-defunct Champions League T20, a global competition that Chennai won twice in six seasons.
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Dhoni turns 45 next July, just over a month after the IPL final, and the 2025 season was a struggle for both team and talisman. Though he faced only a combined total of 130 balls across the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Dhoni had swung from the hip like an old wild-west gunslinger. His strike-rate across those two seasons was over 200, and he hit a six every 5.65 deliveries.
Last season, he batted more – 145 balls – but with far less impact. The strike-rate of 135.17 was as mediocre as the team’s season. Part of the problem seemed to be that Dhoni was obviously struggling to balance both roles. Combining wicketkeeping, with 120 squats or more per innings, and late-overs hitting proved to be beyond even him, especially after he had undergone major knee surgery.
Samson’s arrival is a sign that CSK are finally ready to embrace a future where Dhoni will be either in the dugout or at the auction table rather than on the field. Samson, who turned 31 earlier this week, is already a veteran of 177 IPL games, with 149 of them having come for Rajasthan Royals.
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While he isn’t in the Dhoni class as a stumper, Samson is a safe pair of hands, and will also slot in at the top of the order now that the franchise have released New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway. He may not get the captaincy, with Ruturaj Gaikwad Dhoni’s chosen successor, but his 13 seasons of experience will undoubtedly be an asset as CSK plan for a future without Jadeja and, soon, Dhoni.
The advancing years seemed to catch up most with Dhoni when CSK had to play games in quick succession. With Samson in the ranks, they now have the luxury of using Dhoni as an impact player in some matches, with a ready-made replacement behind the stumps. As for Samson, he goes from a franchise with no great winning culture to one that’s looking to get back to the top of the pile. The pressure of expectation will be immense. Filling those Dhoni shoes won’t be easy.
