indian premier league - ipl

MS Dhoni Backs CSK Star for IPL 2026 Turnaround After Last Season Debacle

Sreejita Sen

Last updated: August 3, 2025

3 min read

MS Dhoni, one of the most successful captains in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has placed his faith in the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to resolve their batting woes in the upcoming IPL 2026. Notably, the skipper was ruled out after just five fixtures of the latest IPL season with an elbow injury.

MS Dhoni on Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Comeback in IPL 2026

Former CSK captain, who also led the team this season in Gaikwad’s absence, felt that his re-inclusion into the squad would be the key factor for the Men in Yellow’s comeback in the next edition. The Chennai outfit struggled in all three aspects of the game in the IPL 2025.

However, their poor batting stats were the most evident as CSK held the second-worst batting average of just 23.41 during the middle overs in this season. Moreover, Chennai also registered their lowest-ever IPL total at their home ground, Chepauk, in this edition after managing to put up only 103 runs against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

“We were slightly worried about our batting order, but I think it’s quite sorted now. Rutu will be coming back. He got injured, but he will be returning. So, we are quite settled now,” Dhoni stated at an event in Chennai.

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The gloveman also believes that his franchise would be in a better place after the upcoming mini auction ahead of the IPL 2026. Notably, the five-time champions finished the IPL 2025 in the bottom place with just four wins in their 14 league-stage matches.

“I wouldn’t say we slacked off, but there were certain gaps that needed to be filled. A small auction is coming up in December. There are a few loopholes, and we’ll try to address them,” stressed the former CSK skipper.

Ruturaj Gaikwad in IPL 2025

The 28-year-old showcased a mixed bag of form in his limited five-match appearance in the IPL 2025. The batter started CSK’s campaign with a blistering 26-ball 53 against their arch-rivals, Mumbai Indians (MI), at home. But he failed to continue the momentum in the next home fixture against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The former CSK pacer Josh Hazlewood dismissed Gaikwad for a four-ball duck.

The batter made a swift comeback to notch up 63 runs off 44 balls against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati. But he managed only five and one run against Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) before being ruled out. After a disastrous IPL 2025 season, CSK fans would hope to see Gaikwad in his fiery form, both as a batter and leader, in IPL 2026.

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