Shaun Pollock, a former Mumbai Indians player and South African all-rounder, has expressed his opinions on MS Dhoni's future in the Indian Premier League (IPL), adding that he would be astonished to see the Chennai Super Kings skipper play in the IPL in 2026, when he will be nearly 45.

The conjecture about Dhoni's IPL future has increased since CSK was eliminated from the playoff race after their eighth defeat of the season, including their fifth straight loss at home. PBKS defeated CSK by 4 wickets in Chennai, thanks to Shreyas Iyer’s 72 and Yuzvendra Chahal’s 4 wickets that included a hat-trick.

This loss also knocked CSK out of the race for IPL 2025 playoffs. Following CSK's four-wicket loss against the Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Dhoni was spotted speaking with team CEO Kasi Vishwanathan.

Speaking about MS Dhoni's future, Shaun Pollock stated that he would be surprised to see Dhoni playing for CSK in IPL 2026, given that he has achieved whatever there was to.

"I mean, he has got nothing more to achieve, has he? He has won as much as anyone else. It's going to be down to what he wants. Because of his legacy and because of the impact he has had on that franchise, they have kind of given him free reign as to be the one who makes the call," Pollock said in a video for Cricbuzz.

"Would that change? Would the owners go and have a word with him? We don't know. We have tried to predict this for so long, it is becoming like a stuck record, where we cannot get to the bottom of it. I would be very surprised if he is there next year," he added.

Here is the video: