Can Chennai Super Kings not fight without Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Is MS Dhoni's absence really the reason for the defeat?

New Delhi. This happened for the first time in the history of the Indian Premier League when the Chennai Super Kings team played a match in the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. If the former captain was not playing, he would have been present in the dugout. His absence in the first match of IPL 2026 against Rajasthan Royals was always going to be glaring. CSK was all out for 127 runs in 19.4 overs and 4 wickets fell at 41 inside the powerplay. Rajasthan Royals achieved the target by losing two wickets in just 12.1 overs.

The defeat in Guwahati showed that this night was not just about asking whether CSK missed an old finisher. It was a night that highlighted how much CSK needed the control, discipline and calmness that Dhoni brings to the team. The scoreboard itself gives the first answer. Dhoni was not available because he was injured. He will be out for the first two weeks of the season. In his absence, no structure could be formed in CSK's innings. Their key batsmen were out early, the middle order could not hold on, and only Jamie Overton's 43 runs meant anything in that innings.

Did CSK feel the lack of Dhoni in batting?

Did CSK feel the absence of batsman Dhoni? This is true only to some extent. Recent IPL statistics show that his batting role has changed so much that this cannot be the entire reason. In IPL 2025, Dhoni played all 14 matches and scored 196 runs. CSK remained at the bottom of the points table last season. In IPL 2024, he scored 161 runs, with a strike rate of 220.54, but this came in just 11 innings, in which he was not out eight times. In IPL 2023, he scored 104 runs, with a strike rate above 180, yet he played as a lower-order hitter and not as a batsman who saved the team at 3 for 30.

Dhoni's absence felt as a finisher

CSK did not lose against Rajasthan because they were short of 20 runs in the last match. They lost because their innings collapsed badly in the first six overs. Dhoni is dangerous in this phase of IPL. He is especially known for small cameos. He could have played a short but useful innings against Rajasthan and taken the team to a fighting score. Dhoni would have managed the innings very well amidst the continuous falling of wickets. His first aim is to play the full 20 overs.

Dhoni's game management was lacking.

CSK felt his lack the most behind the wicket and in game management. Rajasthan made a blast in the chase, Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 52 runs in 17 balls and completed his half-century in just 15 balls. The importance of Dhoni's wicketkeeping is not limited to just catching and stumping. He helps in field setting, reading batsmen, controlling tempo and resetting the bowlers in real time. He is one of the greatest wicketkeeper-tactician in cricket history. When CSK had only 127 runs to save. In such a situation, a slightly better organization might not have won the match, but it could have definitely made the defense less disorganized.