MS Dhoni continued the suspense over whether he will return to play the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at an event amid strong speculation that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) could purchase another high-profile wicket-keeper batter in the form of Sanju Samson.
At a recent event, Dhoni was asked about his plans for the 19th edition of the league, but he did not give a definite answer and stated he would take a call in December.
“I don’t know whether I’ll play or not. I have time to decide. I have some time until December, so I’ll take another couple of months, and then finally, I can make my decision,” said Dhoni.
At this point, a fan from the crowd decided to take part in the conversation and shouted, ‘You have to play, sir.’
Dhoni gave a witty reply to the question and pointed out issues with his knees, which cast major doubt on whether he would play for CSK again.
‘Arre, ghutne me jo dard hota hai uska take care kaun karega (The pain I have in my knees, who will take care of that)?”
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For those unversed, Dhoni underwent a knee surgery days after leading the Men in Yellow to their 5th IPL title in 2023. While the 43-year-old has played two seasons since then, he has been visibly struggling with his knee, which has also led to him batting lower down the order with running between the wickets being an evident issue.
Meanwhile, it has been widely reported that Sanju Samson has informed the Rajasthan Royals (RR) of his desire to leave the franchise. CSK have emerged as the favourites to sign the player in either a trade deal or during the auction.
The five-time champions had a nightmare season in 2025 as they finished last on the table for the first time with just four wins in 14 matches.