Former Chennai Super Kings cricketer has spilled the beans on whether MS Dhoni has another year of playing in the IPL (Indian Premier League) left in him. During the Match 63 of IPL 2026 between CSK and SRH at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on May 18, there were rumours that it might be the last appearance of Dhoni in the league. However, Dhoni was not a part of the XI and warmed the bench.
After the match Raina met Dhoni on the field and had a chat with the legendary cricketer. The cricketer-turned-commentator later revealed that he had asked Dhoni to come back for the tournament next year as well, as he remained injured for the entirety of the 2026 season, with only one more league-stage match remaining. Dhoni, however, told his ex-CSK and India teammate that he can take a call only if the body is fit.
“I told ‘you have given IPL 2026 a missed call. It won’t count. You have to come back next year’. He said ‘nahi yaar, body thoda waisa hai (my body is a little weak)’. I said ‘we are not believing anything. You have to play next year’. It’s his personal call. I think he is positive. The team is also gelling well again,” Raina told Star Sports during the post-match show.
Notably, the match against SRH was certainly the last time Dhoni was seen in the CSK dugout in the 2026 season, as the cricketer has not travelled with the squad to Ahmedabad for their final league-stage game against Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, which is scheduled to be played on Thursday, May 21. With CSK nearly eliminated from the race for the playoffs, the GT tie will most likely be their last in 2026.
Now, it will be interesting to see if Dhoni actually decides in favour of playing his one final home match for CSK at the Chepauk turf before winding up on a legendary career.
