New Delhi. Despite the crushing 8-wicket defeat against Gujarat Titans on April 26, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) seem to be moving in the right direction. New Delhi. After losing its first three matches of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the five-time champion team made a comeback by registering two consecutive wins. After this, in the next two matches, they had to face defeat by just 10 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, whereas they gave a strong performance by defeating Mumbai Indians by 103 runs. CSK’s play in the last five matches has given the team confidence. The bowling is excellent, if the batting also goes well, the team can register three consecutive wins. To stay in the tournament, it is necessary to win the next match. If you can beat Mumbai, then a return to mid-table is possible. The remaining matches will be on good batting wickets and Ruturaj is also in form. It is not difficult to win four out of six matches.
The defeat against Gujarat will definitely hurt, especially because it came on home ground, but overall the team’s graph is going upwards. Ruturaj Gaikwad has returned to form. Despite Khalil Ahmed’s injury, the bowling is in good shape. Although the batting still needs improvement as the middle order is not performing as expected but it is expected that Devold Brevis and Shivam Dubey will return to form soon. Now the question is whether Mahendra Singh will be a part of the team getting back into form or the team management will keep him on the bench.
Ashwin claims CSK doesn’t need Dhoni?
The thing to note is that amidst all this, no one felt the absence of Mahendra Singh Dhoni in batting. Even when CSK was losing, it was not raised that “Dhoni should come down and bat. The discussion was only about his strategic understanding, in which he has no match. Dhoni is currently out due to calf injury. There are constant updates regarding his fitness and comeback, but every time his comeback is postponed. The truth is that for the fans of CSK, Dhoni is the identity of the team. The franchise has also always maintained this. But the question is whether now Is his playing beneficial for the team?
Where will Dhoni play?
Last season, Dhoni came to bat at number 9 and played only 11.15 balls at an average. It doesn’t seem right for a player who played most of his career at number 4-5 to fall so low. Dhoni’s golden era ended about 10 years ago, although he was useful in IPL till 2019, but after that his performance has declined. Still, CSK, fans and perhaps even Dhoni himself is not ready to accept it. If CSK is out of the tournament, then Dhoni can play. As long as the team is in the race, there is no need to take risks. I still think CSK has a chance to reach the playoffs, although it is difficult.
Effect on team balance
According to a report, Dhoni himself does not want to spoil the current combination of the team. If Dhoni comes into the team, then some batsman probably Karthik Sharma, Urvil Patel or Sarfaraz Khan will have to sit out. These players can bat at different positions, but this is not possible for Dhoni. If the batsman’s position is not changed, then fast bowler Gurjapneet Singh or Mukesh Chaudhary will have to be dropped, due to which the bowling may become weak. In any case, it could upset the balance that the team has achieved recently. Keep in mind, CSK has not reached the playoffs since 2023. Last season, the team stood at 10th position after winning only 4 out of 14 matches. In such a situation, it is natural to feel pressure on the management.
It is possible that Mahendra Singh Dhoni may be fit, but in the current circumstances, his entry into the team may prove to be detrimental to the balance of CSK. It is a bitter truth that now Dhoni is an emotional strength for the team, but perhaps he is no longer that useful from a cricketing point of view.
