MS Dhoni is not only a legendary figure of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) but also a cornerstone of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The former India skipper, who was known for his match-finishing abilities, attracted a lot of criticism regarding his batting positions during the last couple of IPL seasons.

During his days as an active international cricketer, he used to bat at number 7, but in the last couple of IPL seasons. Especially during the IPL 2025 campaign, the keeper-batter came to bat after his usual batting position, which annoyed many cricket fans. During a recent event, Dhoni explains why he came late to bat in the IPL. The legendary cricketer compared the game with a full-course meal, and his batting position as the dessert. Through the comparison, he tried to highlight the importance of timing in cricket.

"Right now, I’m the dessert, while others are the starter and the main course. My role is to come in later and finish strong. If you make the dessert your main course, you might get diabetes! Cricket, like a meal, needs timing; play your part at the right moment, and the result will be sweet," MS Dhoni said.

Read More: Legendary batter confirms retirement ahead of T20 World Cup 2026

MS Dhoni explains his late batting positon in IPL for CSK

From these comments, it is now assumed that in the upcoming IPL season (IPL 2026), he could maintain the tendency to come to bat from a deeper position. In IPL 2025, Dhoni, 44, batted in 13 innings to score only 196 runs in total at an average of 24.50 with a best score of 30 not out.

The previous season was a huge setback for the 5-time IPL-winning team, as they finished in the bottommost position in the points table. In 14 games, CSK managed to win only 4 and lost on 10 occasions, mostly because of a series of poor batting performances.

A major blow for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai cricket team, as their key batter received a fresh injury ahead of an important match. The batter, who is in tremendous form for his whirlwind batting, injured his finger during a net session.

According to media reports on Monday, Sarfaraz Khan picked up an injury in his finger while doing batting practice in nets for the Mumbai cricket team ahead of the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 (VHT 2025-26) quarterfinal against Karnataka at the Centre of Excellence in North Bengaluru. Along with Khan, Tushar Deshpande was also ruled out from the match because of injury concerns.

According to a TOI media report, "Sarfaraz, who had smashed a record 15-ball fifty against Punjab in the last league match of the stage—the fastest by an Indian in List A cricket—injured his finger after being struck by a ball from Sairaj Patil while batting in the nets."

Read More: Watch: Devon Conway acknowledges loud ‘CSK, CSK’ chants at BCA Stadium during IND vs NZ 1st ODI 2026

CSK batter Sarfaraz Khan injured his finger ahead of crucial matches

Just a match before, the middle-order batter smashed a record 15-ball half-century against Punjab, which is currently the fastest half-century in List-A cricket across the globe. Sarfaraz has been Mumbai’s top scorer in this tournament, scoring 303 runs in six matches at an average of 75.75 and a strike rate of 190.56. His highest score was 155 off 75 balls against Goa.

Before these explosive knocks, Sarfaraz Khan was bought by CSK for his base price of INR 75 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction.

Mumbai vs Karnataka VHT 2025-26 Playing XIs:

Karnataka: Mayank Agarwal (C), Devdutt Paddikal, Karun Nair, Smaran Ravichandran, Krishnan Shrijith, Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, Vijay Kumar Vyshak, Vijaydhar Patil, Abhilash Shetty, Vidhwath Kaverappa.

Mumbai: Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Musheer Khan, Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Tamore, Shams Mulani, Sairaj Patil, Suryansh Shedge, Tanush Kotian, Ishan Mulchandani, Mohit Awasthi, Onkar Tamale.

Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh explains why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) never felt pressure when MS Dhoni was in charge of the team. During his prime, Dhoni, who won 5 IPL titles as CSK captain, was one of the most dominating forces in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Singh played multiple IPL seasons in the CSK jersey and under MS Dhoni's leadership.

During a recent podcast, Singh tried to explain the importance of MS Dhoni's presence in the CSK dressing room. The former spinner said that Dhoni had a very clear vision and knew how to guide the team to a victory. That mindset helped the team to shape in a way as well.

As the captain used to remain calm and collected, players also used to maintain their mindset no matter what the result of a match was. Without relying on star power, Dhoni tried to base the team on pure bonding. 

Read More: Yashasvi Jaiswal all set to become Rajasthan Royals captain in IPL 2026: Report

"Dhoni is clear in his thinking and exceptional at winning games, and that mindset reflects on the entire team. He builds a system where the dressing room matters most, with no big or small players, only contribution to the team." Harbhajan Singh explains how Dhoni influenced the atmosphere of Chennai Super Kings. 

Harbhajan Singh explains how MS Dhoni shaped CSK

"Win or lose, the atmosphere stays the same. Learn, move forward, and keep growing. That’s what makes his team special." 

Before joining Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2021, Harbhajan Singh played a crucial role during the IPL 2018 and IPL 2019 seasons. He was exceptionally well in the 2019 season with 16 wickets in 11 matches, maintaining an economy rate of 7.09. Singh was fortunate to lift the IPL trophy with CSK in 2018 when he got 7 scalps in 13 games. 

Chennai Super Kings fans were delighted as one of their uncapped Indian cricketers registered a record bowling figure in the Maharashtra vs Himachal Pradesh Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26 (VHT 2025-26) match. In this match, Ramakrishna Ghosh, a CSK all-rounder, claimed 7 wickets in the first innings of the match for Maharashtra. From the beginning of the tournament, Ghosh has been brilliant for the Maharashtra cricket team.

Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction, the CSK management retained some of their key players. Surprisingly, Ramakrishna Ghosh, who did not play a single match for them in IPL 2025, was also retained by the franchise for INR 30 lakh. With his current performance in the VHT 2025-26 for Maharashtra, Ramakrishna Ghosh is demonstrating why CSK retained him.

In 9.4 overs. Ghosh took 7 wickets, offering only 42 runs. Innesh Mahajan, Ankit Kalsi, Ekant Sen, Pukhraj Mann, Nitin Sharma, Vaibhav Arora, and Rohit Kumar – these are the 7 Himachal Pradesh batters who lost their scalps against Ghosh. Pukhraj Mann's 110-run knock helped Himachal to gather 271 runs in the first innings.

Read More: Good news as another star batter likely to play 2 Vijay Hazare Trophy matches on these dates

In the previous two matches of Maharashtra, Ghosh took 3 wickets against Punjab and another 3 wickets against Sikkim. Along with taking 3 scalps, the emerging cricketer scored 73 runs as well during the match against Punjab.

Full squad of Chennai Super Kings for the IPL 2026 season:

Retained players:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, M.S. Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis. Traded in: Sanju Samson (from RR).

Players they bought from the IPL 2026 auction:

Kartik Sharma (14.20 cr), Prashant Veer (14.20 cr), Rahul Chahar (5.20 cr), Akeal Hosein (2 cr), Matt Henry (2 cr), Matthew Short (1.50 cr), Aman Khan (40 L), Sarfaraz Khan (75 L), Zakary Foulkes (75 L)

Sanju Samson is likely to get a leadership role in Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the upcoming Indian Premier League season (IPL 2026). It is speculated that the keeper-batter can be appointed as the vice-captain of the team in the IPL 2026 season, while Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue as their skipper.

After the rare setback in the IPL 2025 season, the franchise invested heavily in future prospects. As MS Dhoni is closing in on IPL retirement, the management had to find someone who can fit the profile: a keeper-batter with leadership qualities. Sanju Samson, on paper, is the best candidate to be named. According to reports, Chennai Super Kings are reportedly planning a big leadership transition ahead of IPL 2026, and all signs point towards Sanju Samson being appointed as the new vice-captain of the franchise.

Before the IPL 2026 auction, CSK secured the service of Samson for a hefty fee of 18 crore. To make the trade deal possible with Rajasthan Royals, CSK let their veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja go along with exciting English all-rounder Sam Curran, which showed the amount of faith CSK officials have in Sanju Samson. Samson was the captain of Rajasthan Royals.

Read More: Watch: RCB provides major update on Tim David's injury ahead of IPL 2026

Apart from Dhoni and Sanju, youngster Urvil Patel is also the wicketkeeper for Chennai Super Kings. So, it will be interesting to see who will be their regular keeper-batter in the IPL 2026 season. If Dhoni plays only as an impact player, then it is possible to see Samson as their first-choice keeper-batter.

CSK IPL 2026 Squad:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, M.S. Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, and Zak Foulkes.

Kartik Sharma, who received a record-breaking pay cheque from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as an uncapped Indian cricketer, expressed how his father used to train him. During a YouTube video with Jatin Sapru, Sharma revealed how he became a big hitter because of his father.

The 19-year-old said that he used to train under his father's observation from a very young age. Manoj Sharma, father of Karthik Sharma, who also dreamt of becoming a professional cricketer, knows the game very well and understands what modern-day cricket demands nowadays from a young cricketer. So, he used to tell Kartik to pay big shots. As the emerging batter said, his father really loves over-boundaries.

"My father trained me that way. He really loved sixes, and he used to say, “If you play defensive shots, I’ll scold you.” He told me to hit every ball. When I was young, he used to say that every ball should go into the stadium. If I defended, I would definitely get scolded," Kartik Sharma said about how he will feature for CSK in the IPL 2026 season.

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Kartik further said how his family members were enthusiastic for the IPL 2026 auction. There was a TV in Kartik's room, and for the auction day, his father set another TV in the hall.

Kartik Sharma reveals how his father supported him grow as a big-hitter

"There was a TV in my room, and my father also set up another TV in the hall. All my family members gathered, and even uncles and aunties from our neighbourhood came over," Kartik added.

For the Rajasthan-born, there were multiple interests in the auction room. Mumbai Indians, Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Chennai Super Kings put on their paddles to rope in the player. Eventually, CSK confirmed his service for a whopping amount of INR 14.2 crore. In 12 T20s, Kartik has scored 334 runs at a strike rate of 164, hitting 28 sixes.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made some big and bold moves at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. The franchise spent heavily on uncapped Indian all-rounder Prashant Veer, buying him for a massive ₹14.20 crore. CSK also paid the same amount for uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma. Both players had a base price of just ₹30 lakh and became the joint highest-paid uncapped players in IPL auction history.

Prashant Veer, an all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, impressed everyone with his performances in domestic cricket. In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he scored 112 runs in six innings at an average of over 37 and a strike rate above 170. He also took nine wickets in seven matches, showing his value as a complete all-rounder. Kartik Sharma, a wicketkeeper-batter from Rajasthan, has also shown strong form. He has scored 334 runs in 12 T20 matches at a strike rate of over 162, including two half-centuries.

CSK also added overseas experience by signing West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein for ₹2 crore at his base price, with no bidding war. Ahead of the auction, CSK made a major trade by sending Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran to Rajasthan Royals in exchange for Sanju Samson. Samson is expected to open the batting for CSK next season along with either Ruturaj Gaikwad or Ayush Mhatre.

See Also: IPL Auction 2026: Full squad and new bought players for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Chennai Super Kings Bought Players at IPL 2026 Auction

Akeal Hosein (₹2 crore), Prashant Veer (₹14.20 crore), Kartik Sharma (₹14.20 crore), Matthew Short (₹1.5 crore), Aman Khan (₹40 lakh), Rahul Chahar (₹5.20 crore), Matt Henry (₹2 crore), Sarfaraz Khan (₹75 lakh).

Chennai Super Kings Full Squad for IPL 2026

Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ayush Mhatre, M.S. Dhoni, Sanju Samson (traded from RR), Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Rahul Chahar, Matt Henry, Sarfaraz Khan.

A video shared by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went viral on social media platforms, as it is supposed to be a hint of their strategy ahead of the IPL 2026 mini auction. Through the video, viewers can see Leo, mascot of the franchise, went for some shopping and bought three different items from a fruit seller.

For the cricket fans, the video has a hidden meaning, as the franchise is expected to cash in for multiple players for the next season of IPL (IPL 2026). The hint can be the items Leo bought from the fruit seller and put into a carry bag.

The video starts with a phone call. Leo talked for a few moments over the phone and then went shopping. The fruit seller in the CSK t-shirt said to Leo, "What a man you are, Leo! You always think differently. Wait, let me give."

Read More: 'They tell us not to commit...'- Yashasvi Jaiswal discussed influence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in dressing room

CSK confirms 3 players ahead of IPL 2026 auction, watch the video

Leo Vazhi, Thani Vazhi 😉🦁#LeoHotline pic.twitter.com/82IrWALVTG

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) December 10, 2025

The fruit seller packed three items in a transparent carry bag, and Leo walked away happily from the market. As the carry bag was transparent, viewers can clearly see which items Leo bought from the shop—kiwi, apple, and a mixture.

Now, cricket fans are assuming that these three fruits are the hints for which players the franchise is set to go in the franchise. The Kiwi can be a reference to a New Zealand player, the apple can be a sign of Eden Apple Tom or can be a cricketer from Kashmir, and the mixture can be an all-rounder. Needless to say, the market can be a direct reference to the upcoming player auction. Which players CSK is going to sign lies in the future; before that, cricket fans can enjoy the creative video shared by Chennai Super Kings.

That one century can prove enough to clear all doubts among the team selectors. In the upcoming days, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad can get another massive opportunity to showcase his talent for Team India. If the reports are to be believed, then the batter can make a debut in other formats as well for the Men in Blue.

After a long wait, Ruturaj Gaikwad got another chance to prove himself in the 50-over format. In the first ODI of the ongoing 3-match series against South Africa, he underperformed. But, in the following match, he bounced back with a bang. Gaikwad scored his maiden ODI hundred in Raipur and helped India to post 358 runs on the scoreboard batting first. Though that total was not enough to secure a win against the visitors.

The right-handed batter made his ODI debute back in October, 2022. After that he featured against South Africa, the West Indies, and Australia. Before the century, Gaikwad's only notable knock for the team was 71 against Australia in Mohali on 22 Sep 2023. Before the ongoing series with South Africa, there were only a couple of instances when he managed to get runs in two digits. Because of the poor form, BCCI dropped him from the team.

Read More: Watch: Dewald Brevis with his GF in Vizag ahead of IND vs SA 3rd ODI

CSK star Ruturaj Gaikwad can make Test debut for India soon

In 2024, Ruturaj did not play a single game for India but did well in domestic cricket. After months of dedication and hard work in domestic cricket, the selectors again showed trust in the 28-year-old. Now, he is looking more controlled and composed with the bat in the middle of the ground.

According to the latest updates, Ruturaj Gaikwad can soon make his Test debut for India after taking part in ODIs and T20Is. India is expected to play a Test series against Sri Lanka; there Gaikwad can get a chance to perform in the Whites. If the selectors put him in the playing combination, then Sai Sudharshan's place can be in trouble, as the team management is desperate to get a suitable number 3 batter for the Test format. Sudharshan played a few matches in that position but lacked consistency.

Chennai Super Kings are now in a different period after their significant off-season changes prior to IPL 2026. The team made a significant move by trading their key all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran, for Sanju Samson. This trade surprised the fans a lot, but on the other hand, it benefited the team financially as it released a huge amount of ₹43.40 crore into their budget. CSK also let go of 10 players, which means they can now build a team that would not face the same issue of imbalance as the previous year.

The auction will no doubt attract CSK's eye with a number of foreign players, yet the all-rounder from the West Indies, Jason Holder, is the one who attracts the most attention among other players as a compelling target. His participation in IPL has been sporadic since 2013, but Holder has managed to get into the best T20 cricket form quietly, which makes him a strong candidate for being bought cheaply with high chances of return.

1. Holder Is Having His Best T20I Period

Once regarded as a first-class all-rounder, Holder's white-ball career did not show such remarkable heights until now. In 2025, the 34-year-old player welcomes the T20 format with full commitment and has already played 23 T20Is for West Indies this year.

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His stats are impressive: 31 scalps at an average of 22.61 and an economy of 8.60, along with a drastic increase in the batting department, almost 20 runs per innings, with a 149+ strike rate. In a field where the current form often plays a bigger part than the reputation, this revival makes Holder a very proper option for the changing squad of CSK.

2. Much-Needed Bowling Versatility for CSK

The main problem that CSK faced in the previous season was their pace attack's lack of diversity. While Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj did an excellent job as new-ball bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana's main role was to bowl at the death. This often led CSK to use spinners in the non-favourable match-up phases.

With Holder, they step up the game. The West Indian bowler has had a good year in T20Is, bowling in the different phases effectively:

• Powerplay: 34 overs, 12 wickets, avg 25.20
• Middle overs: 18 overs, 3 wickets, econ 8.50
• Death overs: 29.3 overs, 16 wickets, avg 15.40, econ 8.34

This rare efficiency of three phases is exactly what CSK needed.

3. A Non-Negotiable Role After the Exit of Jadeja and Curran

CSK's need is urgent for a reliable lower-order all-rounder after the departures of Jadeja and Curran, with the all-rounder options becoming fewer due to retirements or the non-availability of Andre Russell, Glenn Maxwell, and Moeen Ali. Cameron Green may be the headline name at the auction, but Holder is likely to have exceptional value and experience at a lower price.