For the first time in the history of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), an IPL season has concluded without MS Dhoni playing a single delivery. This development emerged despite Dhoni being part of the squad for the 2026 Indian Premier League campaign, as persistent injury issues kept him sidelined for the entirety of the 14 league matches. Speaking at the press conference following Thursday’s defeat against the Gujarat Titans, CSK bowling coach Eric Simons was asked whether the franchise remains hopeful of Dhoni playing next season, amid growing speculation that the former skipper might call it quits to transition fully into a support staff role. Simons put an end to the debate, offering a clear response regarding the India icon’s future.
In Dhoni’s absence, CSK handed opportunities to a number of youngsters throughout the tournament, with the likes of Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma,and Ayush Mhatre regularly given chances to test their mettle. While Kartik emerged as a strong contender for a permanent middle-order role, others like Urvil and Dewald Brevis only looked competent in brief phases.
This transitional phase has triggered an intense debate over whether Dhoni’s return next season is a viable possibility or if it might disrupt the franchise’s long-term strategy. Simons, however, emphasized that the decision rests entirely in the hands of the Indian cricket legend.
“Well, you’re seriously asking me that question?” Simons smiled when asked if the team is hopeful of seeing Dhoni play next year. “Yeah, look, we always are. I mean, honestly, he has hit the ball so well. He obviously had a leg injury, which made it very difficult for him to run, so that’s why he couldn’t play. But in terms of hitting the ball in the nets, he’s hitting it as well as I’ve ever seen him hit it.”
“But I keep saying this, only MS will know, and MS will make the decision about when he’s ready and when he’s right. And I tell you what, if he knows he’s not, he won’t play, but if he is right, he will. He’ll make the decision in the best interest of the team and not for himself as an individual. But it’d be great to have him playing. It’s been great just having him around the unit and being someone to tap into for. Knowledge and calmness,” he added.
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CSK A Young Team, Needs Time: Simons
Reflecting on the turbulent nature of CSK’s campaign this year, Simons highlighted that the squad is in a developmental phase, with a lot of young players still learning to adapt and handle the weight of expectations. He also noted that untimely injuries to pivotal squad members severely hampered their consistency.
“I think an important part of winning an IPL is that you get your balance right and you have a side that can carry itself through, where your changes are made a long way before the game, not because someone’s out of form, but because you’re moving into a particular condition,” Simons asserted.
“We know ourselves a lot better as a unit now, and we also know a lot of the individuals better in terms of what they can and can’t do. Someone like Kartik has come along magnificently this season, we know what he’s about, Urvil, we know what he’s about. Obviously, the established players, we’ve always known who they were and what they are.”
“But I do know that we’ve come away from this tournament understanding ourselves as a unit better, and that stands us in good stead. Across the board, we’re quite a young or reasonably inexperienced side, and then we obviously had a lot of unlucky injuries along the way. Just as we were gaining momentum, we lost someone like Jamie Overtonwho is such a balancing factor in our team. He is so important to our bowling attack through the middle overs so we don’t have to make radical changes, and he can also bat at the back end of the innings. Losing him threw us off a bit, but we’ve learned a lot about ourselves both as a unit and as individuals,” Simons concluded.
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