MS Dhoni’s Last IPL in Yellow? Robin Uthappa Makes Big CSK Prediction

Robin Uthappa predicted IPL 2026 could be MS Dhoni’s last season for CSK, with a possible mentor role and Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the side.

Chennai Super Kings enter IPL 2026 with strong focus on MS Dhoni’s future. Retirement talk has increased ahead of the new season. The buzz grew stronger after Sanju Samson joined the squad in a major trade.

Former CSK player Robin Uthappa expects 2026 to mark Dhoni’s last IPL season. He believes Dhoni may take on a mentor role alongside playing duties. Uthappa also sees a shift in Dhoni’s batting position. He expects Dhoni to move from number 7 to number 8 this season.

The change could help the team plan for the future. Ruturaj Gaikwad is likely to get more responsibility as captain.

“IPL 2026 is likely to be his last year in the yellow jersey. I see him playing more of a mentor-cum-player role this year,” Uthappa said.

“I don’t see him batting at number seven. I see him batting at number eight. Knowing that he is on his way out, he wants to wean himself out. I think he will do that. Only then will we see the true potential of Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain. Give him a few years. If it doesn’t work, you always have Sanju Samson in the team to handle the captaincy duties,” he added.

WATCH ALSO | Worrying Signs? MS Dhoni Limping Leaves Fans Concerned Ahead Of IPL 2026

Date	Opponent	Venue
March 30	Rajasthan Royals	Guwahati
April 3	Punjab Kings	Chennai
April 5	Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Bengaluru
April 11	Delhi Capitals	Chennai

CSK Squad

MS Dhoni (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (traded in from RR), Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Urvil Patel, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Shreyas Gopal, Khaleel Ahmed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Mukesh Choudhary, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma (wk), Matthew Short, Aman Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Matt Henry, Rahul Chahar, Zak Foulkes.