MS Dhoni has clarified that he won't be leading Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the next season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Instead he confirmed that regular skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad will take over as captain for IPL 2026. Gaikwad was sidelined this season due to an injury, which led to Dhoni stepping in as captain once again.
Ruturaj Gaikwad will continue to lead CSK in IPL 2026
Dhoni shared this update after CSK's final league match of the season against Gujarat Titans (GT) on Sunday, May 25 at the Narendra Modi Stadium. CSK crushed the table-topping Gujarat team by 83 runs to sign off IPL 2025 season on a high.
Despite Dhoni leading CSK for most of the season, the team's overall performance was underwhelming, and they ultimately finished at the bottom of the points table. Even with their big win on Sunday, CSK only managed to secure four wins out of 14 matches this season.
"Yes there are a few holes that we'd like to fill but one of the most important things was when Rutu comes back next season at least we are able to give him a team where he just needs to fit in 1 in the playing XI. He doesn't have to worry about too many things," Dhoni said in the post-match presentatioin.
The 43-year-old Dhoni was the oldest player in IPL 2025. He had to assume captaincy mid-season following Gaikwad's injury. Under Dhoni's leadership, CSK won 3 out of the 9 games he captained. As a batsman, Dhoni scored 196 runs in 13 matches, with his highest score being 30.
Talking about the match, CSK ended the IPL 2025 on a high as they got the better of table toppers Gujarat Titans by 83 runs.
CSK posted a formidable total of 230/5. Dewald Brevis and Devon Conway both notched up fifties for the five-time champions, while handy contributions came from Urvil Patel (37) and Ayush Mhatre (34).
Chasing a challenging target of 231 runs, Shubman Gill-led never truly looked in contention, ultimately being bowled out for just 147 runs. The Titans struggled from the outset, consistently losing wickets. They lost 3 wickets for just 30 runs inside the powerplay before a 55-run stand between Shahrukh Khan and Sai Sudharsan offered a brief period of stability. However, once this partnership was broken, the floodgates opened, leading to the rapid collapse of the Shubman Gill-led side for 147. Sudharsan was the lone bright spot for the Titans, top-scoring with 41 runs and being the only batter to cross the 20-run mark. For Chennai Super Kings, both Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad were instrumental, each picking up 3 wickets.
CSK fans will now be hoping for a fresh and stronger start in the 2026 season under Ruturaj Gaikwad's captaincy