Chennai Super Kings ended their IPL 2026 campaign with a loss to Gujarat Kings on Thursday, with MS Dhoni not playing a single match in a season for the first time. When asked about the future of Dhoni at the franchise next season, CSK’s bowling coach Eric Simons speaking at the post-match press conference put an end to all speculations surrounding the Indian legend.
CSK, currently going through a transition phase, will Dhoni transition to a support staff role or could continue as a player? Simons clearly stated that the decision rests in the hands of Dhoni.
“Well, you’re seriously asking me that question?” Simons smiled when asked if CSK is hopeful of Dhoni playing next year. “Yeah, look, we always are. I mean, honestly, he has hit the ball so well. He obviously had a leg injury, which made it very difficult for him to run, so that’s why he couldn’t play. But in terms of hitting the ball in the nets, he’s hitting it as well as I’ve ever seen him hit it.”
“But I keep saying this, only MS will know, and MS will make the decision about when he’s ready and when he’s right. And I tell you what, if he knows he’s not, he won’t play, but if he is right, he will. He’ll make the decision in the best interest of the team and not for himself as an individual. But it’d be great to have him playing. It’s been great just having him around the unit and being someone to tap into for knowledge and calmness,” he added.
Talking about CSK’s difficult season, Simons said the team is still in a rebuilding phase, with many young players learning how to deal with pressure and expectations at this level. He also mentioned that injuries to key players affected the team’s rhythm and consistency.
“I think an important part of winning an IPL is that you get your balance right and you have a side that can carry itself through, where your changes are made a long way before the game, not because someone’s out of form, but because you’re moving into a particular condition,” Simons said.
“We know ourselves a lot better as a unit now, and we also know a lot of the individuals better in terms of what they can and can’t do. Someone like Kartik has come along magnificently this season, we know what he’s about, Urvil, we know what he’s about. Obviously, the established players, we’ve always known who they were and what they are.”
“But I do know that we’ve come away from this tournament understanding ourselves as a unit better, and that stands us in good stead. Across the board, we’re quite a young or reasonably inexperienced side, and then we obviously had a lot of unlucky injuries along the way. Just as we were gaining momentum, we lost someone like Jamie Overton, who is such a balancing factor in our team. He is so important to our bowling attack through the middle overs so we don’t have to make radical changes, and he can also bat at the back end of the innings. Losing him threw us off a bit, but we’ve learned a lot about ourselves both as a unit and as individuals,” Simons also said.
