'He will play all the matches': CSK CEO says Dhoni's role in IPL 2026 still undecided

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) CEO Kasi Viswanathan said veteran wicketkeeper-batter MS Dhoni is expected to play in all matches of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the final decision about his exact role will be made by the team management.The 19th edition of the IPL will start on March 28, and all teams have already begun their training camps. Players who recently took part in the T20 World Cup will soon join their teams and start preparing for the tournament. There were worries that CSK legend Dhoni might not play all IPL 2026 matches because of his age, but CEO Kasi Viswanathan dismissed these concerns and said “He will play all the matches, according to me.”Asked what role he’s likely to takeup in the tournament, with another keeper-batter Samson now in the team, he added, "That I cannot say. That is a cricketing decision which will be taken by the cricketing staff. Not by the administrative staff. So they will decide whether he is going to play as a batsman or as a wicketkeeper-batter, or as an impact player."He expressed pride in the franchise’s players Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube, who put up match-winning performances in Team India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign, and said, “We are very happy that India has won the World Cup, that too they've won it back-to-back. We are delighted because two of the CSK players, Sanju and Shivam Dube, have performed extremely well. It gives us a lot of confidence in the team doing well for CSK here also," he said.When asked about the players’ preparations in the camp, he said, “Practice is going on well, no problems so far.”