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Even after retiring from international cricket, MS Dhoni continues to entertain fans. The former India captain is getting ready for his 19th IPL season and has been playing in the league since his last international match in 2019. With wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson joining the team, some fans believe Dhoni might take on a non-playing role in IPL 2026. However, former cricketer R Ashwin believes Dhoni will play in IPL 2026 and could even bat at No. 3 during the Powerplay.

"Dhoni looks set to play as he has already started practising. He’s looking fit. Some said he may not play in the 11, or this might be his last season. But it looks like he got motivated seeing Imran Tahir. Looking at him, it doesn’t look like he’ll bat at No.9. He looks like he’ll come out to bat at No.3 in the Powerplay and be the enforcer, the way he has begun practice."

Last season was very disappointing for CSK and Dhoni, as the team finished at the bottom of the table with just eight points from 14 matches. Dhoni also struggled with form, scoring only 196 runs in 14 games.

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Ashwin feels that CSK are well-prepared for IPL 2026 and have assembled quality players. He said:

"They’ve scouted very well and boast a powerhouse of a batting lineup. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Karthik Sharma, and Prashant Veer is a batting lineup, barring the inexperience in the last two, you ask how are teams going to stop this batting lineup? Even a 200 to 200 becomes really difficult for teams to stop CSK."

He added:

"Even Jamie Overton is going great guns. Only the combination CSK decides to go with is to be seen. Ayush Mhatre, irrespective of what happens in the U-19 World Cup, will deliver in the IPL. CSK’s batting is a tough one to stop. If they get the combination and momentum right, that is a batting lineup that’s really going to make work very difficult for bowlers around the tournament."

Sanju Samson joined CSK before the auction after being traded for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran. Both all-rounders moved to the Rajasthan Royals.

At the auction, CSK spent big money on uncapped Indian player Kartik Sharma, buying him for ₹14.2 crore after he entered with a base price of ₹30 lakh. They also picked uncapped player Prashant Veer for the same amount from a ₹30 lakh base price. In addition, CSK signed Rahul Chahar for ₹5.2 crore and Matt Henry for ₹2 crore.