CSK hint at MS Dhoni retirement after IPL 2026 auction; ‘At some point MS will move on, writing is on the wall’

Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) auction strategy during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi threw a light in what could be a possible last season for MS Dhoni as a player for the franchise. Once dubbed as Dad's Army, for their approach of player recruitments, CSK's auction strategy for 2026 season focused more on youth.

After getting the services of Sanju Samson for ₹18 crores via a trade deal with Rajasthan Royals, the five-time champions spent a whopping ₹14.20 crore on a 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma - joint-most expensive uncapped player in history of IPL.

An astounding ₹32.20 crores for two wicketkeeper-batters in the squad does give a hint that the franchise is preparing life after Dhoni. Interestingly, CSK now have four wicketkeeper-batters in the squad now - Dhoni, Samson, Kartik and Urvil Patel (retained from last season).

“We were looking at the fact that at some point MS will move on. Sanju is an international quality player, and he fills that role very well,” Fleming to media after the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi. “Sometimes you can hang on to theories and philosophies because of past success, but we identified that we need to shift,” added the New Zealander.

In fact, CSK spent 60% of their purse during the IPL 2026 auction on just two uncapped players, which clearly showed their change in approach. Besides Kartik, CSK spent another ₹14.20 crore on Prashant Veer, a 20-year-old hard-hitting all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh.

Former CSK cricketer Robin Uthappa also stated that the succession blueprint is a clear indicator that Dhoni's days as a player at the franchise are limited. “The writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni’s last season,” Uthappa said on air during a Star Sports show.