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CSK's New Era Begins: First Match Without Dhoni or Raina in 277 Games

Chennai Super Kings will play their IPL 2026 opener against Rajasthan Royals without either MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina for the first time in franchise history, ending a remarkable 277-match streak. Dhoni is missing the first two weeks of the season with a calf strain, while Raina retired from all cricket in 2022. This marks the beginning of a new era for the five-time champions, led by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. The squad features wicketkeeper Sanju Samson and aims to rely on young, explosive talents moving forward.

Key Points: CSK Plays First Match Without Dhoni or Raina in IPL History

  • Historic 277-match streak ends
  • Dhoni absent due to calf strain
  • Raina retired in 2022
  • Ruturaj Gaikwad leads new-look CSK
2 min read

CSK breaks 277-match streak, to play first-ever match without Dhoni or Raina in playing XI

Chennai Super Kings break a 277-match streak, playing their first-ever IPL game without icons MS Dhoni or Suresh Raina in the playing XI.

"The Ruturaj Gaikwad captained side... will witness several exciting, young, explosive talents taking to the field."

Guwahati, March 30

Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League 2026 campaign opener against Rajasthan Royals will mark the first-time ever that the iconic Yellow franchise will take to the field without either of their two icons, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni.

CSK's IPL 2026 campaign opener will be start of a new era of sorts for CSK. The Ruturaj Gaikwad captained side, with wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson being another marquee name in the squad, will witness several exciting, young, explosive talents taking to the field. However, the squad will have neither Raina, who retired from all formats of cricket in 2022, nor Dhoni, who will miss the first two weeks of the ongoing season due to a calf strain.

The five-time IPL champions have played 277 matches in franchise cricket, 253 in the IPL and 24 matches in now-defunct Champions League T20 tournament. Throughout these 277 matches, the franchise had either Raina or Dhoni and most of the time, both together in their playing XI. While Raina last played the IPL in the 2021 season before calling time on his cricketing career, Dhoni continued entertaining fans in a new avatar: A lower-order finisher tasked with hitting as many fours and sixes as possible within the death overs phase of the inning.

In 278 matches, Dhoni has 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*. He is the sixth-highest run-getter in the tournament history. In last season's wooden spoon finish, Dhoni scored 196 runs in 13 innings at an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of over 135, with a best score of 30*.

Raina is the fifth-highest run-getter in the tournament history, with 5,528 runs in 205 matches and 200 innings at an average of 32.51, a strike rate of 136.73, including a century and 39 fifties.

Squads: Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ayush Mhatre, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Matthew Short, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Akeal Hosein, Sarfaraz Khan, MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, Shreyas Gopal, Rahul Chahar, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Aman Khan, Gurjapneet Singh, Zakary Foulkes, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Adam Milne, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen, Sushant Mishra, Donovan Ferreira, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Vignesh Puthur, Ravi Singh, Aman Rao Perala, Brijesh Sharma.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan, this is fascinating. CSK's identity was so tied to those two. Excited to see if the new players like Sanju Samson and the young guns can build their own legacy. The IPL needs strong teams.
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Vikram M
277 matches! That's an insane record of consistency and loyalty. Shows why they are the most successful franchise. Hope Dhoni recovers soon from his injury. The team needs his guidance from behind the stumps, even if he's not hitting sixes.
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Priya S
Feeling a bit emotional ngl. Raina's explosive batting and Dhoni's calm finish defined my childhood summers. But change is the only constant, right? Time for Ruturaj to show his captaincy mettle. Whistle Podu! 🎶
R
Rohit P
With respect, maybe this forced change is good. The team looked a bit stuck last season. Fresh energy from players like Ayush Mhatre or Dewald Brevis could be exactly what CSK needs to bounce back from that wooden spoon.
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Michael C
The stats are mind-blowing. Over 10,000 runs combined from just two players for one franchise. That's pure dominance. The IPL will miss seeing Dhoni walk out to bat, but sports move on. Let's see what the new chapter holds.

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