MS Dhoni’s last IPL season? Aakash Chopra says it’s time for him to hang up his boots
“I feel this could be his last season. His successor is now known. Sanju Samson will wear the gloves eventually, it could even happen at some stage of this season,” he said.
“Again, conditions apply in terms of MS Dhoni’s fitness and series. But he cannot be an Impact Player. If he is playing as an Impact Player, I think it is time for him to hang up his boots.”
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When asked if MS Dhoni is still the unofficial captain of Chennai Super Kings on the field, Akash Chopra said, “There is a little analogy. If you want your baby to start walking, you have to hold his hand and teach him. But if you want him to run, you have to let him go. If you keep waiting, they will never learn to run. From Dhoni’s point of view, if someone is appointed as the next Captain, then he should take a ‘backseat’ and I think he already is.”
“If you look at the auction and how the team was built, this is not the team MS Dhoni would have built if left entirely to himself. Would he go with so many youngsters in one go? This is Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team.”
He added that MS Dhoni will observe the events and not say much. “He can give advice here and there, but that’s where it ends.” Dhoni featured in 278 IPL matches for two teams, CSK and Rising Pune Supergiant, in the 2016 and 2017 seasons, when CSK was suspended, and scored 5,439 runs in the tournament.
Last season, he was mostly seen in brief cameo roles during the death overs, scoring 196 from 13 deliveries.
CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan stated that the experienced player will be available throughout the season and is expected to play in “all matches” in the 2026 season.
