Former Indian cricket team batsman S Badrinath criticized the Chennai Super Kings for not knowing if MS Dhoni would play in the 2026 Indian Premier League. Due to a calf strain and a subsequent thumb injury, Dhoni has not participated in any games this year. The seasoned cricket player did not even show up for the most of their games, despite persistent rumors about his fitness. Dhoni attended CSK’s most recent home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, although he was simply there to mingle with the players and take a quick run around the field.
“There has consistently been questions over whether he’ll play or not before every game. The whole Dhoni situation hasn’t been handled well. Nobody knows the reason. Is it just to create interest for the match or is it a business decision? Is this also part of the process?”
Before speculating that Ravindra Jadeja will be Dhoni’s successor, he even questioned whether Dhoni chose Ruturaj Gaikwad.
“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. Dhoni could have only given a suggestion. So the management must only take responsibility for this. Knowing Dhoni, if at all he had any say in this, he would have suggested Ravindra Jadeja only as the next captain,” Badrinath said.
CSK’s 2026 season has not gone well, and the squad has little chance of making the playoffs. Under Gaikwad’s leadership, Badrinath was harshly critical of CSK’s “process” and noted how unsatisfactory their player acquisitions were.
“Even players like Brevis, Mhatre, and Urvil Patel were replacement players. CSK just got lucky with them. It’s not like they did some planning or process to land them. Even a good acquisition like Sanju Samson came through trade, where they had to give up Jadeja and Sam Curran. So there is no decision that they’ve made, which has worked in isolation,” he concluded.
