Dhoni missed the entire IPL 2026 for CSK due to a calf injury.
Following Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) last group stage match of the ongoing IPL season against Gujarat Titans (GT), skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad acknowledged that the legendary MS Dhoni's future beyond the current season remains uncertain, saying even he will find out about his predecessor’s plans next year.
Gaikwad noted that Dhoni's absence was a major setback for the team, highlighting his ability to shift momentum in pressure situations and instill fear in the opposition during the death overs.
Dhoni missed the entire IPL 2026 due to a calf injury. Since winning the title in 2023, CSK have now failed to qualify for the playoffs for three successive seasons.
The five-time champions were officially eliminated from the playoff contention following a crushing 89-run defeat to GT at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday (May 21).
"(will we see MS Dhoni next season?) Obviously, you will get to know it next year itself. Even I'll get to know it next year itself. Obviously, it's a hard, hard miss for us, definitely. He's someone who can have a fear of the opposition, especially coming in those late overs. Can really change the game, can really change the momentum just by staying at the crease. So, he's someone; definitely, we missed a lot this season,” Gaikwad said at the post-match presentation.
Despite the challenges and transitioning away from senior players, Gaikwad expressed satisfaction with the squad's effort and the valuable experience the younger players gained throughout the campaign.
“But, I mean, we never know about next season, but obviously, really happy with the guys we had and, really happy with the experience they got this year,” he added.
After being invited to bat, GT racked up a mammoth 229/4 in 20 overs, thanks to fluent half-centuries from Sai Sudharsan (84 off 53), Shubman Gill (64 off 37) and Jos Buttler (57* off 27).
In reply, CSK’s innings folded for 140 in 13.4 overs, with no batter managing to reach the half-century. Shivam Dube waged a lone battle with 47 off 17 balls.
“Yes, also keeping in mind, we wanted to kind of chase whatever the total is as early as possible. And, obviously, when you're chasing 230, anyway in 20 overs, it's not going to be easy with the kind of bowling attack they have. But, just why not give it a shot and just go out there and express. And obviously, credit to them. They outplayed us in all departments,” Gaikwad said.
When asked if there was any regret over winning the toss and opting to field first in the must-win fixture, Gaikwad stated: “Not really, actually. I thought it was a bit spongy to start with. Obviously, they got off to a good start. A few errors in our bowling, we didn't execute that well in the powerplay, especially to both of them. And once their openers get going, it's very hard to stop them. So, obviously, even in between, there were phases where we could have capitalised, we could have restricted them to 200. But we failed to do that today.”
After securing three consecutive wins against MI, DC, and LSG, CSK lost momentum and suffered a hat-trick of defeats against LSG, SRH, and GT, which hurt their campaign badly.
Gaikwad specifically noted that injuries to Jamie Overton and Ramakrishna Ghosh unsettled the playing 12, forcing them to play a batter or bowler short.
“Well, tough season to start, especially the hat-trick of losses. And then after that, once we found that momentum, obviously we found guys playing at the right spot, the right combination, everything started working. And then obviously, a couple of injuries again and again didn't really help much, especially missing out Jamie and, you know, another all-rounder in Ramakrishna Ghosh, kind of unsettled our playing 12. We were always playing a batter short or playing a bowler short in whatever last three games we played. So obviously, not many people actually buy the fact that we are a young team, we are in a transition phase and not a lot of players who are experienced enough, especially in the toughest competition,” Gaikwad said.
He also expressed pride in his young squad, pointing out that having 8 to 10 players with under 20 games of experience exposed areas for growth, even though they missed out on making the playoffs.
“But given the fact that more than eight to ten players who have played just below 20 games, it's good to have that exposure for them, especially this year. We got to know what are the areas we are lacking and definitely still to get those six wins on the road and some couple of great wins as well. So really proud of the unit. There were a few games, as I said, when we travelled to Hyderabad, we missed out on chasing 80 in 10 overs and then even last time when we played in Chennai, we could have restricted them to 180. So, a couple of games where we could have just got over the line, failed to do that, but still, very much proud,” Gaikwad remarked.