The Indian Premier League is all set to begin on March 28 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first match. As another season of IPL approaches, the fans are getting excited to watch MS Dhoni on the field.
While Dhoni has been gearing up for another season of the IPL, his former teammate Irfan Pathan has given his opinion on the wicket-keeper batsman’s future.
According to Irfan Pathan, it might be the last season for Dhoni.
He said on JioHotstar that: “As soon as the IPL comes around, we start seeing Mahendra Singh Dhoni again, which means he is fully prepared for it, and he is looking very fit as well,” “We have seen him take responsibility for a number of years now, but I think this is the time for the baton to pass to the likes of Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is a young captain as well.”
He also added that “CSK is incomplete without MS Dhoni. This season might be the last time we see him in the yellow jersey, and it’s tough to imagine CSK and the IPL without him. This season, Dhoni will play an important role in bringing everyone together. I’m not sure how many games he will play, but his presence in the dressing room will help a lot.”
Dhoni has helped CSK win five titles before handing the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of the 2024 season of IPL.
CSK Set to Begin IPL 2026 Campaign with Tough Opening Fixtures
Five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings are to begin their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign against Rajasthan Royals on March 30 in Guwahati. Later, the team will face the Punjab Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Delhi Capitals in the first phase of the tournament.
| Match | Date | Time | Venue |
| RR vs CSK | 30 March, 2026 | 7:30 PM IST | ACA Stadium, Guwahati |
| CSK vs PBKS | 3 April, 2026 | 7:30 PM IST | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
| RCB vs CSK | 5 April, 2026 | 7:30 PM IST | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| CSK vs DC | 11 April, 2026 | 7:30 PM IST | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai |
Source: https://www.iplt20.com/teams/chennai-super-kings/schedule
CSK Faces Copyright Row Over Rajinikanth Movie Audio
Ahead of the season, CSK has been involved in a controversy after Sun TV Network filed a copyright case in the Madras High Court. In addition, the firm claimed that CSK used music and dialogues from Jailer, Jailer 2, and Coolie in their jersey launch promotional video with permission.
Just after the video went viral on social media, it was taken and uploaded a day later with a different sound or music.
CSK has informed the court that it would stop using the movie songs in its promotional content.
After this case, other franchises have been informed to be more careful and avoid using soundtracks without proper permission.
Chennai Super Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Prashant Veer, Aman Hakim Khan, Zakary Foulkes, Rahul Chahar, Noor Ahmad, Akeal Hosein, Matt Henry, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, and Shreyas Gopal.