Former India captain chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth has hit out at Chennai Super Kings management including the captain and coaches for “deceiving” the fans about MS Dhoni’s fitness throughout the IPL 2026 season.
Srikkanth called out the CSK management despite knowing that the former India captain would not be able to play a single match this season. Srikkanth accused the franchise for building a narrative by putting out Dhoni’s training videos, which gave hope to the fans that their star is ready to play in the next match.
“Before the season started, they said he has got a leg injury and that they are hoping to have him soon,” Srikkanth said in his YouTube show, a day after CSK lost to Gujarat Titans and were eliminated from the play-off race.
“Fleming also sang the same song, Ruturaj Gaikwad also sang the same: ‘He might be ready for the next match’. And then before the match, CSK will have a video of Dhoni training to show the fans and hint he is fit and he might play.”
For Srikkanth, the different explanations coming from the CSK camp about Dhoni’s fitness went beyond keeping things secret and ended up confusing fans. Dhoni was first said to be out because of a calf injury before the season, with reports claiming he would miss only a couple of weeks. Later, there were talks of a thigh strain, while some reports also suggested he was actually fit but left out to maintain the team combination.
“Then they said, ‘no, no. He is still recovering from the injury’. And then they said he got injured in the thigh,” Srikkanth said.
“Stop this deception. You should make it clear. If he is not going to play the entire season, fair enough. Fans would have been mentally prepared had you made that clear.”
Srikkanth blasted skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, head coach Stephen Fleming and batting coach Michael Hussey for keeping the fans guessing throughout the season.
“If you ask them on a match-by-match basis, Ruturaj will say ‘the big man will be available for the next game’. He kept repeating it. That is where the management, the captain and Stephen Fleming should have said it forthright: ‘He is not playing this season, he is not fully fit’. Fans would have agreed and moved on.”
Srikkanth added that nobody is missing Dhoni but the messaging had to be clear from the franchise. “If you look at it honestly, nobody is missing Dhoni. Nobody is asking for Dhoni in the matches. I think people are asking why he is not in the dressing room, but how many are asking that he is not playing? The Dhoni era is over. Dhoni is one of the greatest cricketers the IPL has produced and one of the greatest captains. You should have made it clear. Why do you keep deceiving fans?”
