This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni's last season: Ex-Indian keeper

Former Indian keeper-batter and analyst Robin Uthappa has asserted that the upcoming IPL 2026 season would be MS Dhoni’s last edition in the cash-rich league, adding that there will be no more speculations about his IPL future.

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Speaking exclusively on JioHotstar, Uthappa has stated that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) invested most of their purse in youth. He went on to add that the Chennai-based franchise is now mostly focused on uncovering and developing the talent since the second half of the IPL 2025 season.

Interestingly, Chennai Super Kings made a surprising change to their approach, backing youngsters instead of relying on experienced players. After tasting success from Dewald Brevis (22), Ayush Mhatre (18) and Urvil Patel (27) in the IPL 2025 season, they went on to acquire the services of 19-year-old Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner and explosive hitter Prashant Veer for INR 14.2 crore. 

Moreover, the franchise also signed the 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Kartik Sharma for INR 14.2 crore. With Sanju Samson already part of the squad, Uthappa is confident of IPL 2026 being the last season for Dhoni.

"I think the writing is on the wall. This is clearly going to be MS Dhoni's last season. No more conjecture, no more speculation about whether he is going to play another year or not. This year, he will be well and truly done," Uthappa told JioHotstar.

"I think all the signs point towards that when you look at the investment in youth and the kind of players they have picked since last year. They are focused on developing talent, uncovering talent and keeping that talent within the franchise," he added.

Notably, CSK spent a total of INR 41 crore of their INR 43.40 crore purse to rope in the services of nine players.

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