Dhoni will play all matches; role to be decided by team management: CSK CEO

As anticipation builds ahead of the new season of the Indian Premier League, the enduring aura surrounding M.S. Dhoni continues to captivate cricket fans. Offering reassurance to supporters of the Men in Yellow, Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanathan has indicated that the legendary wicketkeeper-batter is expected to feature in all matches of the upcoming tournament, even as the final call on his precise role will rest with the team’s cricketing think tank.

The 19th edition of the IPL is slated to commence on 28 March, with franchises across the country already deep into preparations for the cash-rich spectacle. Training camps are in full swing as teams fine-tune their combinations, while players returning from international duty — particularly those who featured in the recently concluded ICC Men's T20 World Cup — are set to rejoin their squads in the coming days.

With Dhoni preparing to don the iconic yellow jersey once again in IPL 2026, questions had naturally surfaced about whether the veteran cricketer would participate in every game given his advancing years. Viswanathan, however, sought to allay such concerns with quiet confidence.

“He will play all the matches, according to me,” he said, underlining the franchise’s expectation that the talismanic captain will remain an integral part of the campaign.

Yet the exact capacity in which Dhoni will take the field remains a matter for the coaching staff to determine. With another accomplished wicketkeeper-batter, Sanju Samson, now part of the setup, the veteran could potentially appear purely as a batter, continue behind the stumps, or even be utilised as an impact player under the tournament’s tactical regulations.

“That is a cricketing decision which will be taken by the cricketing staff, not by the administrative staff,” Viswanathan explained. “They will decide whether he will play as a batsman, a wicketkeeper-batsman, or as an impact player.”

The IPL schedule, which is expected to be announced shortly by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, is being finalised with due consideration to the electoral calendar in the country. Viswanathan confirmed that the five-time champions are set to stage all their home fixtures at their traditional fortress in Chennai.

“We are supposed to play only in Tamil Nadu. So we are waiting for the schedule to be announced by the BCCI,” he said.

The CSK chief also expressed pride in the exploits of franchise players on the international stage, particularly Samson and Shivam Dube, who played key roles in India’s triumphant T20 World Cup campaign. Their performances, he said, have injected fresh confidence into the franchise ahead of the IPL season.

“We are very happy that India has won the World Cup, and that too back-to-back. Sanju and Shivam Dube have performed extremely well, and it gives us a lot of confidence for the team doing well for CSK as well,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, preparations within the CSK camp are progressing smoothly, with training sessions unfolding without any major concerns.

“Practice is going on well, no problems so far,” Viswanathan added, as the franchise readies itself for another chapter in its storied IPL journey.

With IANS inputs