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3 min readMar 14, 2026 03:28 PM IST
Having struggled with a knee problem in the last couple of seasons, Dhoni has been limiting his role with the bat, even choosing to come down as low as No 8 to ensure he gets only a handful of deliveries to face. (Sportzpics)
MS Dhoni is set to appear in his 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), being the only player who was among the captains in the inaugural 2008 season to be still active in the league. Dhoni has played all but two of these seasons for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and has pretty much been the primary face of the franchise, leading them to a record-equalling five titles. Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that the upcoming 2026 season could truly be the last time fans get to see the 44-year-old play in the team’s famous colours.
“CSK is incomplete without MS Dhoni. This season might be the last time we see him in the yellow jersey and it’s tough to imagine CSK and the IPL without him,” Pathan, who was an integral part of the Indian team that Dhoni led to victory in the 2007 T20 World Cup, said on JioHotstar’s ‘Game Plan’. “As soon as the IPL comes around, we start seeing Mahendra Singh Dhoni again, which means he is fully prepared for it, and he is looking very fit as well,” he added.
Widely regarded as one of India’s greatest captains of all time, Dhoni retired from international cricket in August 2020. He then briefly stepped down as CSK captain ahead of the 2022 season before taking the reins back again from all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja a month into it. While that season marked the first time CSK failed to make it to the playoffs, Dhoni led them to their fifth title the next year.
Speculation had been abound throughout the season about this being his last season in the IPL, with stadiums across the country being bathed in yellow and chanting for him whenever CSK played there. However, the wicketkeeper-batter has continued playing. He stepped down as captain ahead of the 2024 season, handing it over to Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni was then captain again on an interim basis towards the latter stages of the 2025 season due to Gaikwad’s injury.
Dhoni remains the only captain in international cricket to have won the T20 World Cup (2007), World Cup (2011) and the Champions Trophy (2013). He was also captain when India climbed to the top of the ICC Test rankings for the first time in 2009. He retired from Test cricket suddenly in 2014 and stepped down as India’s limited overs captain in 2017. His last match in India colours was the semifinal of the 2019 World Cup against New Zealand.
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