MS Dhoni Back in Ranchi as CSK’s Season Comes to a Woeful End

In a recent chat with Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni admitted his body feels 'weak.'

MS Dhoni Back in Ranchi as CSK’s Season Comes to a Woeful End

MS Dhoni has left the CSK camp, returning to his home in Ranchi. (via X)

In Short
  • MS Dhoni has returned to Ranchi, likely ending his IPL season without playing a match.
  • This marks the first time in IPL history that Dhoni has not participated in a single game.
  • His absence is attributed to multiple injuries, including a sore thumb, impacting CSK's playoff chances.

Chennai Super Kings icon MS Dhoni left the team camp and returned home to Ranchi, signaling what appears to be the abrupt end of his IPL season without playing a single match. This exit came just ahead of the team’s must-win clash against the Gujarat Titans.

The 2026 IPL season will be written as one of the most unusual chapters of MS Dhoni’s career, with the 44-year-old having missed the entirety of the tournament. For the first time in the IPL’s 19-year history, Dhoni did not play a single match for CSK.

His entire 2026 campaign was hijacked by numerous injury issues, beginning with the calf strain that he suffered at the onset, which ruled him out of action for the first two weeks, which was followed by another training injury. 

Just as anticipation reached its peak that Dhoni would finally make his return to the playing XI during the final stretch of the season, another setback occurred. CSK batting coach Michael Hussey, at the pre-match press conference ahead of the team’s final game at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, confirmed that the wicket-keeper batter had suffered a sore thumb and would not be available to play. 

MS Dhoni, according to Hussey, might have only rejoined the squad if the franchise manages to navigate its way through a mathematical scenario to secure a playoff spot. Throughout the season, MSD refrained from being seen in the CSK dugout during matches, despite training with the squad. His only stadium appearance came during the Men in Yellow’s final home game of the season against SRH, earlier this week, where he walked out to greet fans during a lap of appreciation.

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Ex-CSK player drops ‘bombshell’ on Ruturaj Gaikwad and MS Dhoni’s role in picking successor 

Former IPL champion and CSK veteran S Badrinath cast doubt on whether MS Dhoni himself chose Ruturaj Gaikwad as his successor. His comments came after what has turned out to be another season of inconsistent performances by the Men in Yellow.

S Badrinath on MS Dhoni successor
S Badrinath questioned whether appointing Ruturaj Gaikwad as CSK’s captain was MS Dhoni’s decision. (via Indian Express)

Badrinath lashed out at the CSK management on several issues, one of them being the uncertainty over MS Dhoni’s participation in IPL 2026. The 44-year-old did not play a single game this season. However, there was a lot of speculation about his match readiness, as fans kept wondering why Dhoni did not play despite looking fit in training. Badrinath stated that the situation was not handled well. 

The former India player went on to question whether it was the five-time IPL-winning captain’s decision to go ahead with Ruturaj Gaikwad as his successor at CSK, given the latter has failed to live up to expectations. He demanded clarity from the team management, while suggesting that Ravindra Jadeja might have been Dhoni’s original pick. The 45-year-old even criticized CSK’s player acquisitions at the auction.

Nobody knows whether it’s true that MS Dhoni wanted Ruturaj Gaikwad to become the captain. This decision cannot come on Dhoni in any way. It had to be the management’s decision. Knowing Dhoni, if at all he had any say in this, he would have suggested Ravindra Jadeja.

Several unverified reports also suggest that MS Dhoni is at loggerheads with the CSK management and might depart at the end of the season. He is said to be unhappy with a few of the decisions, particularly Jadeja’s trade deal with the Rajasthan Royals. 

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