Aakash Chopra, a former Indian cricket player, stated that MS Dhoni, the 44-year-old, should "hang up his boots" if he plays as an "impact player" for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the forthcoming IPL 2026 competition.

The upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) season raises the hot subject of whether Dhoni will play for CSK for the final time, as has been the case with every season in recent years.

The talks have only gotten more intense now that Ruturaj Gaikwad has been captaining the CSK squad for some time, and many young players, including wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson, are joining the yellow army.

Dhoni has dealt with knee issues in the recent IPL editions and even acknowledged his declining level of fitness during the 'ROAR 26' fan event at Chepauk Stadium, admitting that it is on its way down. These fitness issues and waning form have led to MS Dhoni batting at number. 7 or 8 as a finisher, to avoid running between the wickets and preserve his body.

Aakash Chopra stated that cricket cannot be run from a dugout like football while highlighting MS Dhoni’s biggest gifts, like his game-reading, clarity, and conviction. However, he stated that with Sanju Samson now in CSK, the franchise has Dhoni’s heir; this should be his last season, and he should retire from the league instead of playing as an impact player.

"You do not run the team from the dugout; it's not football. In cricket, you need to be on the field, and MS Dhoni's biggest asset is his ability to read the game better than anybody else. That clarity and conviction are what make him who he is. In any case, I feel this could be his last season. He has the heir apparent now. Sanju Samson will eventually don the gloves; it could even happen at some stage during this season. Again, conditions apply in terms of MS Dhoni's fitness and his knee. But he cannot be the impact player. If he is playing as an impact player, I think it's time for him to hang up his boots," said Aakash Chopra on JioStar's 'IPL Today Live.'

MS Dhoni has won the IPL title for CSK five times. He has also made 5,439 runs in 242 innings at an average of 38.30 and a strike rate of 137.45, including 24 fifties and a best score of 84*.

Aakash Chopra has stated that MS Dhoni has taken a backseat now with CSK going for youngsters like Dewald Brevis, Ayush Mhatre, and Urvil Patel, who are injecting some six-hitting and fearlessness into the squad, as seen in IPL 2025.

Even in the IPL 2026 auction, CSK splurged INR 28 crores for youngsters Prashant Veer and Kartik Sharma for aggression.

"There is a small analogy. If you want your baby to start walking, you need to hold their hand and teach them. But if you want them to run, you need to let go. If you keep holding on, they will never learn to run. From Dhoni's point of view, if somebody has been anointed as the next captain, then he has to take a backseat, and I think he already has," he said.

"If you look at the auction and the way the team has been built, it is not the team MS Dhoni would have built if it were left entirely to him. Would he go with these many youngsters in one go? This is Ruturaj Gaikwad's team. MS Dhoni will observe things and not say much. He might offer advice here and there, but that's where it stops. He did that well with Virat Kohli at the international level as well, allowing them to grow and prosper. And if they seek help, he is always there," Chopra concluded.

CSK will start their IPL 2026 on March 30, when they face off against RR in Guwahati.

(ANI inputs)