With the coming of Indian Premier League 2026, team combinations are not the only topic of discussion concerning chennai super kings, but also leadership and the future. An ex-CSK batter Robin Uthappa has expressed an interesting view about what would be a challenging season in which the franchise passes through transition.
Uthappa is of the opinion that the next season could be the last episode of MS Dhoni as an IPL player. Dhoni is 44 years old and even today is still a key player of CSK; Uthappa believes the team is gradually training to play without him.
As Uthappa says, the role of Dhoni in the IPL 2026 may change to more of a mentor than a contributor to the field. He has proposed that Dhoni could probably cut down on participation during matches and give the second generation of players a hand, particularly in making decisions related to leadership.
Uthappa mentioned one of the most important points concerned with captaincy. When Sanju Samson was introduced in the team, he was a firm supporter of Ruturaj Gaikwad to remain the team leader. Gaikwad has been dealing with the responsibilities of captaincy since 2024, and Uthappa thinks that he has more time to develop into the position.
He pointed out that Gaikwad should be given an opportunity to establish his identity as a captain rather than always being judged against Dhoni. In his opinion, it is necessary to come out of the shadow of Dhoni and demonstrate his leadership skills, which Gaikwad can do.
Uthappa also gave a clue that even Dhoni may step aside in the season to give Gaikwad room to make decisions by himself. This slow change would enable CSK to have a stable leaders framework in future.
Meanwhile, the involvement of Sanju Samson contributes to the discussion. Samson, a new employee in CSK, is regarded as a possible alternative leader in the future. His good performance in the recent tournaments has helped him improve his image and he can be considered in case the team needs to change later.
At this point in time though, Uthappa feels that the attention should be directed towards supporting Gaikwad and letting him have a decent run as captain. Having had a disappointing season last time, CSK may need IPL 2026 not only to achieve the results, but also to form a long-term path of the team.
The season thus has dual meaning as it may be a good bye phase of Dhoni and also marking out a period of the next generation of leaders of CSK.