MS Dhoni To Return For CSK In IPL 2027? Former Teammate's Big Prediction
Chennai Super Kings fans suffered a heartbreaking IPL 2026 campaign, not only because the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but also due to the absence of their iconic leader MS Dhoni.
Chennai Super Kings fans suffered a heartbreaking IPL 2026 campaign, not only because the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive season, but also due to the absence of their iconic leader MS Dhoni. The 44-year-old wicketkeeper-batter did not feature in any of CSK's 14 matches due to injury, as the five-time champions managed just six wins and finished in the lower half of the points table. While fans continue to hope for Dhoni's return, former India pacer Zaheer Khan believes the former captain could make one final appearance for CSK next season.
Speaking on Cricbuzz, Zaheer suggested that Dhoni may look to return before the next mega auction, potentially marking his final stint with the franchise before a major squad overhaul.Â
"After the off-season he (Dhoni) will see how his body is feeling. When it comes to the big auction, and I think the kind of direction which CSK has gone in, which is investing heavily in youngsters, when you're retaining them, you have two slots of uncapped players. This year CSK maybe in the beginning of the cycle, they used MSD as an uncapped option? So, if they find someone who is going to take the franchise forward, then MS himself, like how he decided that okay, he's going to be an uncapped player, use that for his advantage, for the franchise's advantage, so he will look at it that way," said Zaheer.
"So if you have that kind of approach, then the next year becomes important for him to come back and then take that call once it comes to the big auction. If you ask him, he's going to say that, 'Okay, I'll see how the off-season goes,' which every year he's been doing, isn't it?" he added.
Meanwhile, former India spinner Murali Kartik added that it remains extremely difficult to predict Dhoni's future, given his history of making unexpected decisions.
"The one thing which you know for a fact with MSD is you don't know what he's going to do. I've always said he never allows the left hand to know what his right hand is thinking, so we could be sitting here and talk till the cows come home and not figure out what MSD is thinking," said Kartik.
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni
Zaheer Khan
Murali Kartik