MS Dhoni captained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2025 after Ruturaj Gaikwad was sidelined due to an elbow injury. The former Indian captain is confident that Gaikwad will address CSK’s batting challenges in IPL 2026. Gaikwad played only the first five matches of the 2025 season before being ruled out with the injury.
In those five games, the right-handed batsman scored 122 runs at a striking rate of 150.61, including two half-centuries. Following his absence, Dhoni took over the team’s leadership, but CSK struggled throughout the tournament.
Out of 14 matches, CSK managed just four wins against 10 losses, finishing last on the points table with eight points.
MS Dhoni Confirms Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Return to CSK for IPL 2026
During an event in Chennai, MS Dhoni spoke to ESPN Cricinfo about Chennai Super Kings’ plans for IPL 2026. He revealed that Ruturaj Gaikwad, who missed the last season due to injury, will be making a comeback, which will strengthen CSK’s batting lineup. Dhoni also mentioned that the team will use the upcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction to address remaining batting concerns.
Dhoni said, “We were a bit concerned about our batting order, but now it’s mostly sorted. Rutu will be back after his injury, so that helps a lot.” He added, “I wouldn’t say we slacked off in IPL 2025, but there were gaps that needed fixing. The small auction in December will help us plug those holes.”
Last month, Gaikwad had signed with Yorkshire Club to participate in England’s county cricket but withdrew due to personal reasons. His next appearance is expected in the Duleep Trophy 2025-26, where he will represent the West Zone.
CSK missed the playoffs in the past two IPL seasons, a fact Dhoni openly acknowledged. “The last couple of years haven’t been great for us. We didn’t meet expectations. But what matters is learning from those experiences. We analyzed what went wrong, identified shortcomings, and worked towards solutions,” he explained.
In IPL 2025, Shivam Dube (357 runs) and Ravindra Jadeja (301 runs) were the top scorers for CSK. Noor Ahmed led the bowling attack with 24 wickets, followed by Khaleel Ahmed with 15. Dhoni himself scored 196 runs in 13 innings at a strike rate of 135.17.
