Robin Uthappa Predicts IPL 2026 as MS Dhoni's Final Season with CSK

Speaking on JioHotstar, the 40-year-old Uthappa suggested that MS Dhoni will potentially be playing his final IPL season.

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

The 44-year-old Dhoni is among four active players to feature in all IPL seasons, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey being the other three.

Dhoni has made 5439 runs in 278 IPL matches at an average of 38 and a strike rate of 137, and is the sixth on the list of the most run-getters in IPL history.

Uthappa also stressed that CSK may not hand over the captaincy duties to the newly signed Sanju Samson and will back Ruturaj Gaikwad as a long-time captain for the franchise.

"I don't think CSK should hand over the leadership duties to Sanju Samson. You have to give Ruturaj Gaikwad time to settle as captain. He has been leading the team since 2024. No matter what people say, he is coming out of the shadow of MS Dhoni. You want him to come out completely and stand in his own light. You want to see what he can produce. You want him to lead the team when MS is not playing and stand on his own, without that overwhelming feeling of always being under that energy," said Uthappa.

The 29-year-old Gaikwad was appointed the CSK skipper in 2024, and his side finished fifth on the points table that year. In the last edition, Gaikwad's injury forced him to exit mid-tournament, and Dhoni took over the captaincy role in his absence. CSK finished at the bottom of the table.

The former CSK batter backed Gaikwad for the captaincy role for the upcoming seasons and said, "Give Gaikwad a few years. If it doesn't work, you always have Sanju Samson in the team to handle the captaincy duties."

- ANI