MS Dhoni and Ruturaj Gaikwad (Image Credit: BCCI/IPL)

New Delhi: Will ms dhoni Play in IPL 2027? The future of Dhoni, who did not play a single match in IPL 2026, remains uncertain. After Chennai Super Kings suffered an embarrassing 89-run defeat at the hands of Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2026 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was asked about his team’s disappointing campaign, with the main question being whether Dhoni will be a part of the team next season.When asked, “Will MS Dhoni play next year?” Gaikwad admitted that even the dressing room is unsure about the veteran’s return in IPL 2027.“Obviously you’ll find out next year. Even I’ll find out next year. Obviously, it’s definitely a tough, tough miss for us. He’s someone who can strike fear into the opposition, especially in those last overs. Being at the crease can really change the game, really change the momentum. So, he’s someone we’ve definitely missed a lot this season. But, I mean, we never know about next season, but obviously we’re very happy with the guys we have and the experience they’ve got this year,” Gaikwad said.Dhoni was initially ruled out for the first two weeks of the season due to a calf injury. However, the former India captain never returned as the tournament progressed. He also did not accompany the team to Ahmedabad for the final league match against Gujarat Titans.CSK’s defeat on Thursday officially ended their playoff hopes and their IPL 2026 campaign. He played 14 matches, winning 6 and losing 8, finishing with 12 points and a net run rate of -0.345.After being invited to bat by CSK, Gujarat Titans posted a massive score of 229/4 thanks to a 125-run opening partnership between Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan. In reply, CSK failed to mount a challenge and were bowled out for 140 runs.“Yes, also keeping that in mind, we wanted to chase the target as quickly as possible. And, obviously, when you are chasing 230 runs, in 20 overs anyway, it is not going to be easy with the kind of bowling attack they have. But, why not just give it a chance and just go out there and express. And obviously, credit to them. They outplayed us in all departments,” Gaikwad said.Asked if there were any regrets on winning the toss and choosing to field first in a crucial match, Gaikwad said: “Not really. I thought it was a little spongy in the beginning. Obviously, he got a good start. There were some mistakes in our bowling, we could not perform that well in the powerplay, especially in the case of those two. And once their opening batsmen get going, it is very difficult to stop them. So, obviously, even in between, there were phases where we could put capital in, we could limit them to 200. But we failed to do that today.”CSK lost the momentum after three consecutive wins against Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants and then suffered three consecutive defeats against LSG, SRH and GT, causing a serious loss to their campaign.“Well, tough season to start, especially the hat-trick of defeats. And then after that, once we got that momentum, obviously we found people playing in the right places, the right combinations, everything started working. And then obviously, some injuries again and again didn’t really help much, especially Jamie and, you know, the absence of another all-rounder in Ramakrishna Ghosh made our playing 12 unstable. Gave. In the last three matches we played, we were always playing one batsman less or one bowler less. So obviously, a lot of people don’t really appreciate the fact that we are a young team, we are in a transition period and there are not a lot of players who are experienced enough, especially in the toughest competition,” he said.

CSK IPL 2026 season summary

“But given the fact that there are more than eight to ten players who have played less than 20 games, it’s good for them to have that experience, especially this year. We found out what areas we lacked and of course we still have to get six wins and some great wins. Really proud of the unit. There were a few games, as I said, when we traveled to Hyderabad, we missed chasing 80 in 10 overs and then the last time we played in Chennai, We could have limited them to 180 also. “So, there were some games where we could have crossed the line but failed to do so, but still very proud,” Gaikwad said.