Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has opined that MS Dhoni deciding to play yet another season was perhaps taken in the interest of the team. His remarks come after CSK have been knocked out of IPL 2025 playoffs race and once again speculations on MSD’s future are rife. CSK will be playing for pride as they take on RCB at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Saturday.
Will Dhoni play for CSK in IPL 2026?
Speaking to Sports Today, Gavaskar claimed that Dhoni’s decision to play in IPL 2025 was taken in the team’s best interest. He added that no player made a decision for their own, but did so more for the team. Gavaskar claimed that whatever Dhoni decides for IPL 2026 will also be made in the interest of the team.
“Any player makes decisions not so much for himself, but for what is likely to be good for the team. Whatever decision MSD made about playing this season would have been based solely on what’s best for CSK. Any future decision he takes will also depend entirely on what’s good for CSK—not necessarily what’s good for himself,” Gavaskar said.
43-year-old Dhoni became the oldest uncapped player in IPL history after being retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auction. When asked about his future at the toss of PBKS vs CSK, Dhoni said that he wasn’t sure if he would come for the next game, forget the next season.
Change in auction strategy needed
Gavaskar also reckoned that CSK should focus more on bowlers than batters in the future. He said that the team’s auction strategy shouldn’t be solely be based on the performances of breakout players in various leagues across India.
“Many players who dominate these leagues with big hitting often fail when they face international-quality bowling. So, if you’re scouting talent, focus more on the bowlers. Strengthening the bowling attack is critical—if your bowlers can restrict the opposition and consistently take wickets, you have a real edge,” Gavaskar added.
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