Likely to be MS Dhoni’s last season, says Robin Uthappa:Ex-KKR star doesn’t consider ‘serious title contender’

Former cricketer Robin Uthappa feels that IPL 2026 might be MS Dhoni’s last season in the tournament. Dhoni, 40, is among the four active players who have featured in every IPL, with Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey being the other three. Earlier, there were speculations about whether Dhoni would play all the matches, but all that talk was brushed aside by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan. ‘Thala’, as he is affectionately referred to, will be featuring in his 19th IPL season this year. ‘See Dhoni playing mentor-cum-player role in IPL 2026’ Speaking on a JioHotstar show, Uthappa felt that Dhoni might play a bit of a mentor-cum-role role for CSK this 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,” he said. Dhoni sits sixth in the list of all-time highest run-scorers in the IPL. CSK’s fifth and last IPL title came in 2023 under Dhoni’s captaincy. The former India skipper also captained CSK last year after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out due to an injury. Also read: ‘Switch on, let’s not waste a minute of any session’: Virat Kohli motivates RCB camp ahead of season opener against SRH ‘Give time to Ruturaj Gaikwad to settle as captain’
Uthappa also backed Ruturaj Gaikwad to lead CSK and said that the franchise should not give it to Sanju Samson, who, before joining the franchise, was Rajasthan Royals’ captain. “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,” he said. ‘Won’t consider SRH as serious title contender’ Uthappa further opined that he will not consider Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as a serious title contender this season. SRH, winners in IPL 2016, had made it to the final in 2024, where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The former cricketer explained his opinion by pointing out SRH’s bowling attack, which has been significantly weakened in the absence of captain Pat Cummins and also Mohammed Shami, who was traded to the Lucknow Super Giants. “SRH’s aggressive batting is entertaining to watch. But batting like that won’t help them win the IPL. Their bowling is a bit on the weaker side. Bowlers are the ones who make you win the trophy,” said Uthappa. “In Hyderabad, where they play seven matches, the pitch is a batting paradise. It is a super belter wicket. Even someone like Mohammed Shami could not be penetrative on those flat wickets. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, you don’t want to put too much pace on the ball because the ball does not seam around much. I don’t think SRH have the bowling unit right now that can back the instability their aggressive batting can cause if the top order does not fire,” he added.