Irfan Pathan believes that MS Dhoni should hand over the legacy of CSK to the young players in IPL 2026. Sanju Samson has joined CSK via trade. Under the mentorship of Dhoni, the team will now focus on youngsters like Ruturaj and Dubey.
Mumbai: In the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), MS Dhoni is once again going to be seen in the jersey of Chennai Super Kings, due to which there is a lot of excitement among the fans. But, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that now the time has come for this legendary player to hand over his legacy to the next generation. Pathan praised Dhoni’s fitness and his dedication to the game, but also said that the focus should be on developing CSK’s young players in the coming season.
Pathan said, “For years we have seen that Dhoni has been taking the responsibility of the team on his shoulders. But now it is time to hand over the baton to young players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dubey, Dewald Brewis and Ayush Mhatre.
Sanju Samson’s entry
Five-time champion Chennai Super Kings is entering the 2026 season with some big changes. The biggest news of this season is Sanju Samson joining CSK from Rajasthan Royals through trade. With Sanju’s arrival, the change in the team that Pathan is mentioning will be clearly visible. With the addition of foreign players like Matt Henry and Akeal Hosein as well as young talents like Karthik Sharma and Prashant Veer, the Chennai team is looking very strong. Pathan also said that Dhoni’s presence in grooming these young players will prove to be very beneficial for the team.
Season starts from Guwahati
Chennai Super Kings’ first match will be against Rajasthan Royals on Monday, March 30 at the Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. The special thing about this match is that Sanju Samson will play his first match for Chennai against his old team. Now the eyes of the entire cricket world are fixed on how this young team performs under the captaincy of Dhoni.